


Of Souls and Spirits

by Permsamurai



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Romance - maybe?, Zuko Angst, Zuko Cant Catch a Break
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-11-30 12:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11463588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Permsamurai/pseuds/Permsamurai
Summary: During the years of Zuko's search for the Avatar, he encounters an opportunity which will alter his path of regaining the honor he lost. Zuko will have to face new obstacles which will shape him into a new person.Starts pre-canon and later will catch up creating an alternative turn of events for the series.





	1. Journey from the Southern Air Temple

**Author's Note:**

> First, Id like to apologize in advantage for mistakes, bad vocabulary or grammar, Im not a native speaker. Hope, you will still be able to enjoy the story :)  
> Also, this will be a long long story (I hope I will live to finish it :D)

 

Eight men edged carefully through a narrow, weather-beaten, path of unsteady rocks. Every step could be their last as the pathway was in the middle of a steep slope looking over a deep valley. Even the weather was not on the side of the eight men in red uniforms. It was deteriorating by the minute. Although for the moment it was only drizzling, the rocky pathway was quickly becoming slippery anyway. Furthermore, the temperatures were only slightly above freezing and the cold was only intensified by a strong wind blowing from the south.

The group was moving slowly. They looked exhausted, moving their legs only with great effort. Their progress was further hampered as one of them could walk only with the support of two others. One of the two men supporting the injured comrade ran from the back of the group to the leader.

 "Commander, sir, I'm afraid that we should probably take a break. The men want to warm up a bit and Riun... Riun's leg is getting worse." The young man or rather a boy with what looked like a constant frown and an outstanding scar on the left side of his face looked back and examined the group following him.

"We are not stopping. By dark, we have to get off these rocks." He said nothing more and started to move forward again. The men exchanged sullen looks. Two of them again supported the injured and tried to keep up with the pace set by their commander.

However, after a few minutes, the group started to fall behind their leader again. The young man didn't even seem to notice. When it was almost dark and the young commander was almost out of sight because of the thickening fog falling, the group decided to stop.

"Commander! Commander!" The men were shouting on their young leader but he didn't stop, at least he wasn't coming back from the fog. That was when one of the angrier looking men ran forward.

"Hey! Your Highness! We are making a break for the night! We will not continue!" Suddenly red flames flared through the fog. They disappeared as quickly as they appeared. The young commander emerged from the shadows; the moist air was changing around his hands into steam. His yellow eyes were gleaming dangerously and the scar around the left one seemed to stretch out changing the left side of his face into a frightening grimace.

"Your Highness…commander, sir!" The older man corrected himself after seeing the dangerous sparks in the eyes of his leader, although it looked like he was pleased with the effect of calling him mockingly by his old title. The oldest man of the group stepped out seeing that the situation required a gentler approach.

"Sir, we have to stop! Riun is getting worse by each minute. I fixed his leg the best I could, but in these conditions…"

 "Second lieutenant Ming, I fully trust in your medical skills and I believe that Private Riun will withstand two more hours of walking until we get into the forest…"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I believe he will not. He has a high fever and the men are hardly able to keep on carrying him." He was trying to say everything very emphatically to make his young hotheaded leader understand the situation. Finally, the young man looked to the back of the group where the other men were supporting their extremely pale comrade who was visibly trembling and didn't look like he could understand what is going on around him. The rest of the men didn't look that much better either. He looked like he saw the real situation for the first time. But the frown on his face didn't go away.

The group looked angry and annoyance was quite transparent on their faces. "Commander, we simply have to stay for the night, wait for the next sunrise." Ming sounded almost like he was scolding a child rather than talking to his commander. The commander, on the other hand, looked like his blood would boil right out of him. But before he could blow out the other men joined right in:

"This mission is ridiculous!"

"We need a break!"

 "We're all tired!"

 "We're staying even if your highness wants to go..!" The protests of the men were louder and louder while the face of the young commander darker.

"How dare you?" he growled with a low voice. "Don't you understand what this is about? There is nothing more important than finding the Avatar! Nothing!" The man whose protests were the loudest stood in front of the young commander and contemptuously looked down on him.

"The Avatar is long dead, he left this pitiful world. And Your Highness with your ridiculous mission is the laughing stock of the whole Fire Nation!" The young man gave out almost an animalistic roar. He took a fighting stance but the older man just snorted.

"Enough!" Ming promptly stepped between them. "Kalun! That was enough!" He looked strictly at the tall man but he didn't move an inch, so he turned to the other hothead. "Prince Zuko, with all respect, we have to think about the current situation and come up with a plan." But the commander hadn't moved either until he suddenly dropped the stance.

For a while nobody said anything and there was a tense atmosphere. Their commander turned away from them and went few steps away. "We are staying for the night. Ming, take care of the injured. We head out with the first light." The whole group sighed with relief and although the conditions were not exactly suitable they set up a small camp. They seated the soldier with the broken leg near the camp fire which they would not have been able to make if they weren't firebenders.

Ming carefully checked on the condition of the injured. It seemed Riun had gotten really sick. Ming was actually surprised that during the challenging expedition only one of the men got injured. What else could be expected from a climb to the Southern Air Temple? It was the most inaccessible Air Temple out of the four and to go there just two weeks before the winter solstice just a few hundreds of kilometers from the Southern Pole was equal to a suicide. But that didn't stop Prince Zuko in contrast with the rest of the crew. Despite all the odds, he headed out on the journey to the Southern Air Temple with six other firebenders as well as Ming himself, on a journey which ended with empty halls and gardens.

It was for a longer while now that the crew was not exactly excited about the dangerous missions the prince decided to undertake and the only thing keeping them from disobedience was the prince's uncle – General Iroh. The respect he held, opposed to his nephew, and the cheerful nature he possessed had prevented many quarrels between the crew and its commander. But this latest expedition seemed to have changed the status quo. During the descent, the youngest of the crew (besides their commander) broke his leg when a rock loosened from underneath his foot. Ming tried his best to fix it still. But the young man was exhausted, his leg kept swelling and as well as the other firebenders he suffered from a shortage of chi energy from the lack of sunshine. Only a few hours of sunlight took its toll on the whole crew. Of course, Prince Zuko was the one who seemed to be the least affected by the lack of sun energy. It was probably his hot temper that kept him supplied with the necessary energy. Riun on the other hand was not so lucky. If they don't get to their ship by tomorrow, Ming was afraid for the worst.

"Kalun, Shin, all of you! Give me all the superfluous clothing you have and don't need. We have to keep Riun as warm as possible." Everybody listened and started to look through their bags and put off their cloaks. Then Ming gave Riun some of the remaining water to drink and they laid him the most comfortable way possible and covered from the weather. After that, all of them laid down to rest around the fire.

Ming looked around the campsite. Their commander stayed on the watch. The boy was sitting the furthest from the campfire wrapped in his cloak watching into the darkness. The flames of anger and wounded pride were still flickering in his eyes. This kind of silence was very characteristic in the prince's relationship with the crew. Commands and angry outbursts were the only words they received from their short-tempered commander. He usually spent the time in his cabin or training. Interaction with his men occurred only on expeditions and during sparring. Ming guessed or probably hoped that this was the sixteen-year-old boy's idea of adult behavior. But the rest of the crew saw it more like the acts of a spoiled self-important prince and they held little to no respect for the boy. They respected the boy's uncle, General Iroh, much more, who was always trying to drill a somewhat more cordial approach into his nephew.

Ming tried not to blame him. Boys of his age were definitely not suited to be in commanding position. However, his title and lineage had put him into the current position and the crew was under his command whether they wanted it or not. Ming was, unlike the others, quite forgiving towards the young prince and tried his best to settle the conflicts between the two sides if the general was not in sight. He even tried to advise the boy although not so openly as his uncle. Besides, he knew him at least somewhat better than the rest of men.

"Commander," Ming approached him with caution. The prince didn't seem to react, but he didn't send him away either, so Ming took it as a clue and sat down. "Soldier Riun is not in the best state. I'm afraid that if we don't get to the ship by tomorrow, in this weather and conditions he wouldn't last very long." His commander still didn't react. "The men are also exhausted, the lack of food and sunshine is weakening them and if our pace will be even slower then we won't be able to make it to the ship in less than three or four days.“ Prince Zuko's face started to look even grimmer if it was even possible but he still didn't say a word.

Ming sighed quietly. He lost his patience. "Sir, I demand you wake me up at midnight to replace you on the watching duty." He didn't even wait if the boy would react or not and left to lie down to the others.

The ground was uncomfortable and wet. First, he thought he wouldn't be able to fall asleep but the exhaustion overwhelmed him sooner than he thought. But just before he would lose consciousness he noticed that his commander looked over on Riun sweating in all the cloaks the men borrowed him and Ming caught a glimpse of something in his eyes. Was it curiosity, fear or maybe guilt?

"Lieutenant Ming, wake up!" Somebody caught his shoulder and shook him a little. He was awake in a second. He could see the stone face of his commander hovering over him. "Yes, sir. I'll replace you immediately!" responded Ming, his voice still hoarse from sleeping. He didn't expect to fall in such a deep sleep. The exertion must have taken its toll on him as well, even though he was not a firebender.

He stood up to show that he was ready and awake. "You don't have to. I expect there will be light by half an hour. I wanted to tell you my plan for today." Ming's brain slowly took in what the prince just told him. But he told him to wake him up at midnight!

The prince stood before him looking fresh as ever. He was up probably the whole night and it wasn't showing at all. "I will go ahead of the group now. I'm leaving you to lead the others. If I go alone I can get to the ship a lot faster. From there I can send you fresh enforcements and supplies." He made a pause and while looking on his feet he continued. "I realize that the expedition is taking too long and that all of you are exhausted but I trust you can at least make it to the woods."

Ming looked confusedly on his commander, making sense of the words he just heard. "But, sir, I don't think this is the best idea. You haven't slept and you shouldn't go alo…"

 "Second Lieutenant Ming! I order you to lead the group to the woods. Then make a campfire to signalize your station, so the rescue group can easily find you. Stay there until they find you." Prince Zuko then took his pack and in the next moment, he was gone. Ming couldn't even respond.

He didn't like the prince's plan a single bit. It was dangerous to wander in such a difficult terrain alone not mention how exhausted the boy could have been. Taking into the account the weather Ming started to worry. But on the other hand, the prince looked the least tired from the group and they really needed to get Riun down from the mountains and for that they definitely needed help.

"Hey, Ming!" Ming almost jumped when somebody interrupted his thoughts. "Where did he go?" Kalun stood next to him. He looked with him into the same direction where the prince disappeared just a minute ago.

"He left to bring help."

"Alone? Did he go crazy?"

"I think he will make it." Kalun didn't look convinced but didn't say anything.

The sun truly came up in a half an hour and by the time they were all ready to head out. Their pace was indeed slower than the day before. They had to take turns in carrying Riun what made them even slower. After three hours they finally made to the low conifers and slowly to the tall pines. "We will stop here!" said Ming when the forest turned denser.

"I don't know if we should stop because I'm not sure if I'll be able to stand up again," Shin stated hardly catching his breath.

"We have to stop to make the campfire. Otherwise, they won't be able to find us."

"If they come," said somebody and others murmured in agreement. "

If you think that you can take Riun down by sunset then we can keep going. If no, then start to look around for some wood to build the campfire!" Nobody said anything against and so they built a small camp. The fire they made from wet wood made big smoke which made their position clearly visible.

In the next hour or so, the atmosphere in the small camp was quite tense. Ming knew that the men didn't have such faith in the prince's abilities. Actually, they didn't have an opportunity to witness them. Not that Ming had such an opportunity but he had a much better image of what they might be. He trusted the young commander and his abilities much more than the rest of the group.

After two hours of waiting the men started to be really nervous. They already started to make new plans, choosing among themselves the less tired ones who could probably carry Riun down the next day, when voices calling their names came from the forest. All of them jumped up and tried to navigate the rescuers towards them by shouting. Ming smiled with relief when he saw the familiar pale face with the large scar.

* * *

 

Iroh has been worried for the last several days. Zuko and the group should have got back two days ago. He has already ordered to build a small camp which served as a station for the patrol groups which he sent out to the nearby forests. For now, he was sitting before his own tent and had just realized that he hasn't noticed when his tea got cold.

He tried so hard to warn Zuko about the climb to the Southern Air Temple. It was too dangerous without a flying bison. The whole Luo Ji archipelago was typical for its high mountains. Although the islands were not big by extent but a journey across them could get quite lengthy. But his nephew remained stubborn and Iroh couldn't do anything about it except studying maps and searching for the safest passage. They tried to find the same one the Fire Nation soldiers used one hundred years ago. Finally, they found a route between two mountains but it was still a rocky, high-placed terrain. And in this season the journey would be all the more challenging.

Iroh was feeling very restless. He didn't like that he was not going to be by Zuko's side when he meets another great disappointment all over again, not speaking about the not overly delighted soldiers. And on top of all the things, the weather was getting worse. Iroh caught himself watching the heavy clouds shielding the view on the mountain slopes in hopes he will catch a glimpse of red color. All that time he was holding a cup of cold tea and barely conversed with the passing men.

"General Iroh!" Lieutenant Jee pulled him out of his gloomy thoughts. "If you deem it necessary we can send the patrols deeper into the woods."

Iroh sighed. It looked like that already everybody noticed how worried he was but he really didn't know what to do next. If somebody would be so strong-minded to get back and see through this mission it would be Zuko but what if this expedition was beyond his abilities or his soldiers. He wouldn't know. "Lieutenant, there are only two hours of light left. We shouldn't send soldiers deeper if we don't know where to look for. We should think about this option tomorrow. But thank you for your concern, lieutenant." He hoped he convinced Jee about his pretend sureness.

"As you say, general. Sir.."

Jee didn't even finish his sentence when a group of men came out from the trees. They were going straight to the small camp. Iroh stood up and ran towards them when he recognized the smaller stature of his young nephew among the soldiers. He felt so relieved he almost laughed out loud. Only when he came closer he noticed the group around his nephew is not the one he left with. It was one of the patrol groups. When Zuko noticed him coming he scowled and looked away. Iroh knew that look. It was that angry scowl he used the last two years to hide any feelings which would show on the outside.

 "Prince Zuko! What on…?"

His nephew didn't let him finish. "Uncle, I need men and supplies immediately. We need to take them to the woods. One of the soldiers, Riun, broke his leg and we couldn't take him down. We have to bring a stretcher too." Iroh understood. He turned to Jee who was following just behind him.

"Lieutenant Jee, gather five men and prepare some easily transportable food and supplies." Jee nodded in agreement.

"We are leaving in a half an hour!" Zuko added.

"You are leaving? Prince Zuko, I don't think it is reasonable to go back. You are surely exhausted. You should take rest, gather some energy."

"Gather some energy? For what? Searching the Avatar? Hardly!" His nephew didn't even look on him when he spoke and went away with Jee.

Iroh sighed. He knew that his nephew is in the mood when he wouldn't listen to anything he would say.

The group was ready in twenty minutes and Zuko was leading them back to the forest. Iroh could only hope that they will come back unharmed. "It looks like the young prince likes to do everything the hard way." Jee was again standing by his side. Iroh didn't answer.

"We should ready the ship so we can leave as soon as they get back." Jee nodded and went to the riverboats so he can return the ship. Iroh decided to stay in the camp until he gets to see his nephew back from the woods again. He thought about Zuko's reaction. Did he start to realize the futility of this mission? Did he give up? The crew would probably like it but what would it mean for his young confused nephew?

 


	2. The Meaning of Search

 

There was a regular humming coming from the engine, steps, and voices behind the doors, sometimes a suspicious crack. They were the noises Zuko grew familiar to during the last two years, but today they were basically preventing him from sleeping. He heard each knock and creak and they kept turning on his futon for hours.

He was incredibly exhausted, but in spite that, he couldn't fall asleep. The fourth, and last, empty Air Temple was one of the reasons. Right now, he was in the mood to give up the mission and… but what then? The Fire Nation insignia hanging on the wall came into his view. The idea of giving up left immediately. If he was to give up, he would have nowhere to go; he wouldn't be able to go home. He would not be able to regain what he has lost.

No, he could not think that way ever again. The Avatar could not simply vaporize into the thin air. He must hide somewhere after the outbreak of the hundred-year war. He was simply waiting and hiding… for a hundred years… doing nothing. Doubts came back to Zuko's restless mind once more.

Maybe the Avatar is dead after all. It would mean that he will not return home, that he will not regain his honor. He felt, that his inner temperature was rising involuntarily. Anger was mixing with despair into an uncomfortable mixture of feelings and thoughts running through his head. His whole body ached since the big expedition and now he felt that his head started aching as well. His legs and feet were swollen and bruised. After all, the shoes which came with the uniform were not exactly fitting for mountain climbing. The other men were definitely feeling it as well. Most surely, Riun felt it the most. The feeling of remorse re-emerged in Zuko's mind for the fiftieth time that day. He risked his life for the mission a number of times but he hasn't realized until now that he was risking the lives of his crew as well. Now he started to wonder if he had such a right. Especially, if the search was pointless.

He had to stop thinking about it. He got up on his aching feet, put on some pants and a tunic and decided to go to the infirmary to check on private Riun.

Ming was startled, although it was just a quiet knock on the door. The person opened the door without so much an invitation. Ming stood up as he saw his commander entering the small infirmary. What is he doing here? He should be resting. Ming was also drowsing a bit, although he wanted to stay alert until Riun's fever will get lower.

It was quite an unusual sight for the prince to be in the infirmary. As it was, Prince Zuko was standing hesitantly in the doorway, like he didn't know if he should enter or not. "Sir, did something happen? What is going on?"

But the boy only shook his head slowly. He looked utterly exhausted. There was a dark shadow under his right eye and the left one looked even smaller than usual. Nevertheless, he still had his regular firm expression on his face.

"How is Riun?" The question came out of nowhere. Ming was caught off guard. Any interest about the crew's condition coming from the young commander was unheard of. Maybe he couldn't sleep because he felt guilty. That would be quite a surprise for the crew if they knew but Ming doubted that the prince wanted them to know about his visit.

Ming looked at the lying man. His leg was fixed still but the fever wasn't going away and even now he was sleeping restlessly. He was wrapped in wet towels and he put a wet handkerchief on his forehead as well. "Not very good," said Ming quietly. "The fever is not breaking even though I gave him a tea against inflammation."

Zuko looked away for a second but then glanced on Riun's leg. "And what about his leg? Will it be permanent?" A twinge of a conscience after all?

"I don't think. Although injuries such these shouldn't be taken lightly." Zuko nodded and stood there for a while like hesitating if he should ask something more or not. He almost turned to leave when Ming stopped him. "If he makes it through the fever in the next hours he should be fine."

Zuko looked on him. "Let me know when that happens." He was already outside when Ming heard him add: "You know where to find me." Ming knew right away what he meant by that. And he didn't like it.

"Sir, you should rest and not…" He tried to stop him but the young commander was already gone. Ming could only sigh over the prince's stubbornness and hope that he won't collapse out of exertion. Well, at least he could confirm that his so-called Spoilt Highness had some conscience after all.

Ming sat back on the chair. He was glad that the prince took him by surprise, otherwise he would have fallen asleep. He was exhausted just like the rest of the expedition group and he couldn't understand how was Zuko not able to rest let alone train. The prince's comment clearly meant that he was going to the empty storage room which he used for training with his dual blades.

He didn't train with the blades on the deck as with firebending but he preferred the empty room because for some reason he didn't want the crew to know about his sword or maybe some other skills. Ming was pretty sure that he and probably his uncle are the only ones who know about them. The rest of the crew had no idea what's in the empty storeroom since nobody but the prince had keys to it. There were even rumors about what the prince could be hiding there, some of them even pretty indecent. He wanted to ask the commander why he has to be so secretive about it but he didn't want to anger the hot-tempered young man.

Only the fact that he learned about his training was surprising for him. It was one night when Zuko woke him with a strained shoulder that he was trying to fix alone but didn't manage. Ming scolded him harshly for not coming to him right away but the boy didn't look like he learned from the experience. Ming then wheedled out of him how he came to the injury. The prince told him really reluctantly about his training and then at least five times emphasized that he mustn't tell anyone. Ming of course promised and didn't ask him further. What could he do anyway? Kids always think they know best. Give them a commanding position and then the adults must follow. He wasn't even their prince now.

That was when he decided to stop musing about his rather stupid commander and change Riun's towels for colder ones. However, Riun started to shiver even more. Ming hoped that the fever will break in the next hour because beyond then his condition would start to get really serious. He made himself an invigorating tea to make sure he won't fell asleep again.

Two hours later, Zuko was only aimlessly banging the straw figurine, using blunt poles since he didn't want to damage his dual swords because of the anger tantrum he was holding.

He went through all of his forms with the swords long ago, even those he thought were forgotten from old training. Then he went on to muscle-building exercises but he couldn't stay in any of them for a longer time. The nervousness about Private Riun was taking over him.

Now, he was only walking through the small room like a caged wild animal, taking out his rage on the training equipment and the poor mannequin. He no longer cared if somebody was to hear him. A great mess of thoughts was boiling in his head that he could not sort out. Although he was on the brink of exertion and his whole body was in pain he just couldn't stop moving. He needed to blow off steam and the temperature in the storage room was proving it. When he wasn't even able to hold the metal poles in his hands because they were so hot he had to throw them away. And so went the last tools for blowing off.

But he still couldn't sit down. He didn't know what to do with his hands, his body or what to do in general.The Avatar is most probably dead and he risked his life, his uncle's life and the lives of his crew in vain on a dangerous expedition. And one of them was probably paying the price now. Zuko kicked the mannequin as if was its fault. He delivered a few strong punches and kicks. Finally, he made a roundhouse kick which blew away the mannequin's head. He watched for a while then picked it up. The straw head burst into flames. This is not going to work, he sighed dejectedly.

He had to find a way how to find out if the Avatar is still alive and, if he is, where to find him. He will not wander around the world aimlessly anymore. He has to and he will find the way. Maybe he will have to ask his uncle for help or find help elsewhere, but he most definitely will find out. Not just because of the crew. He himself has to know if there is a hope to return home. Otherwise, he would waste his life chasing something that doesn't exist for a very long time. Two years of chasing were good enough.

At that thought, he kicked again into the shapeless mass of straw and wanted to throw all the rest of his energy on the former figurine when he heard a knock on the metal door. For a second, Zuko once more felt like a small child caught doing some mischief but he quickly recollected himself. It had to be Ming. He tried to hope for good news. He really had no idea how much time had gone by since he was in the infirmary, or if it was too late for the sick soldier.

Zuko opened the door with a heavy heart. It was really Ming who had knocked. Zuko didn't really want to admit how glad he was when he saw a small smile on the older man's face. "The worst is behind him. It took longer than it should but the high fever is gone." Zuko nodded with relief.

"We will see how things will go, but I believe he should get better," Ming added and Zuko felt the older man's probing glance but he didn't avert his eyes, only made sure that the man won't read anything out of his expression. Especially the huge relief he felt.

"Sir, with all respect, you look horrible."

Zuko was taken aback for a moment by such an open comment from his subordinate. But he didn't finish there. "You should go lie down and sleep for good ten hours."

Zuko snorted. "You don't look any better, lieutenant."

"Better than you, that's for sure." Zuko rose to his full height and looked on the healer with a firm glance.

"Thank you for the report on Private Riun's condition. I think that should be all." He turned around to lock the room behind him hoping that the second lieutenant hasn't noticed the destruction he created there during the last hours.

"Tell my Uncle that I don't want anyone to disturb me by tomorrow noon." With that command, he turned away and went to his cabin. He felt Ming's probing look on his back once again until he walked up the stairs and got away from his line of sight.

He felt more tired by each step and by the time he got back to his cabin, his legs gave up anyway. He fell upon his futon and forgot about the world.

 

_The hallways of the palace were unusually dark. The figure he was chasing through the royal family's chambers was not so far ahead of him, but he still was not able to see it clearly. He had to stop him, he had to catch him. He almost crashed into the closed door of his own room. How quickly did he get through them? He opened them but there was a strange hallway instead of his bedroom. He didn't have time to wonder. The figure must have gone through here. There was no other way. He had to follow._

_Why was he here? From all the places all around the world, he was hiding right in the heart of the Fire Nation, in the house of Fire Lord. It didn't make sense. But he could see the outline of him right in front of his eyes. He ran as fast as he could, but the figure had held the lead._

_"Avatar! Stay and fight! You have no chance of running away!" But the figure kept running. He decided to use firebending. He will make a fire whip and… Zuko punched into the air, but nothing happened. "What...?" He didn't understand. How could his firebending not work? How is he supposed to fight the Avatar? He could not lose him. "Avatar! Wait!" But he did not. He ran into the room at the end of the hallway. Zuko didn't hesitate and followed him._

_It was the throne room. Familiar columns were illuminated by the strong light of the fire in front of the Dragon Throne. He didn't remember the fire to be so glaring. He had a problem to see through it. The Avatar was nowhere to be found. There was nobody in the room except... how dare the Avatar? How could he sit on his father's place?_

_"Avatar! How dare you sit on the Dragon Throne of the Fire Nation?!" Zuko was furious. The fire seemed to respond to the rise in his temper and glared even brighter._

_"Come and fight me, you coward!" Zuko stood up into a fighting stance, only then remembering that his firebending hasn't worked just a moment ago. Only if he had his dao swords with him he could stand a chance. But he didn't give up. And so didn't the person behind the wall of flames. The silhouette stood up as well and the flames lowered. But it was not the Avatar who stood there._

_How could it be? It is not possible?! The person came down to stand in front of Zuko. Familiar dao were unsheathed and a familiar smirk faced him. A person in his blue mask was holding his very own dao blades he was just thinking about seconds ago._

_"Who...Who are you?" Zuko asked. The masked man didn't answer only came few steps closer. Zuko retreated few steps as well but didn't lose his fighting stance. Who was this man? It clearly wasn't him. Who would take his mask and blades without him noticing? This didn't make sense at all. Suddenly, the man swung the swords dangerously close to Zuko's face. The attack was so sudden that Zuko couldn't even react. But before the second swing of the blades, he managed to jump backward. The mysterious figure made him retreating backward with a series of swift attacks._

_Zuko could recognize all of the movements. They were the katas he learned and trained almost every day. Who was this man? After retreating another few steps, Zuko found himself backed against one of the columns. The man took the chance and made a fast thrust forward with both of his swords. Zuko closed his eyes and expected sharp pain in his chest but nothing came. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find the grinning face of the mask just a few centimeters from his own face. He never realized just how scary the thing is. The blades were crossed in front of his neck what made Zuko unable to move. He was forced to stare into the black, empty eyes of the mask. The feeling of desperation started to overtake him._

_"What do you want from me?" he hissed at the masked shape, his voice betraying him, jumping a little. But the silence remained. The thing had nothing to say. It was only staring at him with the emptiness of his eyes. It remained silent..._

 

"…Prince Zuko! Are you up? Prince Zuko? Zuko got startled by the opening of the door. He‘d slept so deep that he had to take a moment to remember where he just was and what is going on. It was something that almost never happened to him. He usually woke to each small rustle or crack and now he was staring right into the face of his Uncle. He even had a problem to see him as the image of the blue mask was still floating in front of his eyes.

"Yes, Uncle, I'm up. As you can see," murmured Zuko annoyed. "How much did I sleep? What time is it?"

"You almost slept through the whole day. The sun will set just in two hours. I brought you something to eat." Iroh proudly displayed the tray he was holding.

"So much? I told Ming… whatever." Zuko was trying to drive away the last bits of his dream. The smell of the food was helping greatly. "Thank you, Uncle." He took the offered food tray and put it down by his side.

"You should eat while it's warm. The soup is excellent. The cook should receive an award." Iroh was smiling from ear to ear and looked like he would go ask the cook for one more portion just as he will get out of the room.

"Fine, Uncle. I will eat it. I just need to get awake." Zuko slowly stood up, his feet aching even more than yesterday. He went to the small basin of water and splashed himself in the face.

"A small meditation would be a good idea. You should come to the deck, at least until the sun is up."

"Yes, Uncle. I'll go." But he still didn't get the cue for leaving.

"How do you feel, Prince Zuko? You're a bit pale."

"Uncle, I'll come right away, just leave me a moment to wake up." The old man finally listened. But Zuko didn't miss the look of worry on his face when he turned to leave.

His Uncle was always like that. At least the last two years. Always worrying about him. He couldn't convince him to stop. Sometimes he felt like his Uncle doesn't trust his abilities. Sure, he had miles of catching up to say Azula or his father in firebending, but he found other ways of improving himself.

He looked around his cabin. The swords were hanging in their usual place. He opened the chest with his personal belongings and in the bottom, he found the blue mask, also in its usual place. He never gave the mask a deeper thinking. It was some weeks after his banishment when he stole it from a showcase of an itinerant theater playing Love Amongst the Dragons, the play he remembered from childhood summers spent on Ember Island. He remembered that he used to be scared of the mask as a child but it never occurred to him that he would be scared of the thing now. And yet, the vivid dream made his skin crawl. Even from looking at the mask he got chills on his back. He quickly threw it back into the chest and tried to forget about the dream.

He washed and quickly ate the soup his Uncle left for him. Uncle was right, the soup was truly delicious, although it cooled down a bit. At least it gave him back some of the energy that he lost after the expedition and training. Looking back, he realized how close he was to complete exhaustion. Even after the long sleep, he didn't feel rested or fresh. Maybe because of the dream.

Zuko went on the deck and the sight of almost the whole crew took him by surprise. All of the firebenders were there, except his Uncle. The men were sitting on the ground side by side, meditating. It looked like they were even breathing synchronously. Then he noticed that Ming was sitting in front of them and hitting a small gong repetitively, dictating the rhythm of the inhale and exhale.

What surprised him, even more, was seeing Riun sitting on the side of the deck, leaning his back on the railing. His eyes were closed so Zuko wasn't sure if the young man was sleeping or meditating as well. Well, he wasn't looking that much better since yesterday. His skin was still pale, gray even, and he had his leg in the splint put on a pillow in front of him. There was also an empty cup by his side. Although it was cold outside, Riun was the only one visibly shivering.

He didn't know if the men noticed him or not since they didn't interrupt their meditation, but Ming, as the only one with his eyes open, pointed at the empty pillow beside the group of men. It looked like it was prepared for him. Zuko would normally prefer meditation in solitude, but he couldn't send the firebenders away from the already setting sun, especially when they still were in zones where sunlight lasted only for a few hours.

Earlier, it would never even cross his mind that the lack of few hours of sunlight would have such a strong effect on firebenders. He only noticed this fact on the way to the Southern Air Temple when they wanted to firebend after the sunset to be able to continue in the dark. Soon the flames they were holding kept getting smaller and smaller by each day until they were not able to continue on their journey and had to set up a camp and wait until sunrise. Well, it was him who was to blame. It was him, who set them up during the winter solstice for a cruise to the South Pole. He couldn't keep them from a meditation under the scarce rays of the sun. It was just that he never expected that the lack of sunlight would be such a problem. It never was at home. 

He sat down to the rest of the soldiers and let Agni's rays to fill him up with energy. Zuko alone hadn't noticed a big difference in his chi, but only after a few minutes spent under the sun, he started to feel his inner fire heating up. Until now, he hadn't even noticed it being dimmed.

The men spent another hour meditating and breathing in unison on each hit of the gong. Zuko tried to open up all of his senses and to not think about anything. It was a long time since he meditated outside of his cabin. Now, he was able to sense the pungent wind on his face. It almost seemed, that he could feel it on the left side of his face, although he knew it wasn't possible. The scarred tissue was numb.

He listened to the sound of waves hitting the prow and inhaled the smell of the sea. After a while, it seemed he could also taste its saltiness. He noticed the subtle swaying of the ship that he stopped sensing very soon after boarding the ship. Zuko decided that he liked these perceptions. They were familiar and calming. But also, on the other hand, he hated that they had become familiar. How long will this journey last? His whole life? No. He reminded himself of his decision the day before. He will find out if there is a point or a meaning for them to continue this search for Avatar. If not, he will find another way of getting back home, of getting back his honor.

Suddenly, there was a noisy clang instead of the quiet clink. Zuko almost jumped, as well as the others. There was a small amused smirk on Ming's lips. Only then Zuko realized that instead of meditating his mind drifted to other places. Places of useless thinking. But still, he felt much better. Even better than after so many hours of sleep. Everybody stood up to stretch their numb and aching limbs, but before each of them would go their own way, Ming stopped them.

"Tomorrow, there will be another meditation hour. I expect participation from all of you." Then he turned to Zuko.

"Sir, you should attend as well. I know you prefer solitude during meditation but now meditation under the sun would be much more helping. As the ship's medic, I strongly recommend the group meditation."

"Fine." Zuko didn't argue. He felt that his health condition wasn't the only thing Ming was trying to improve. But he alone could feel the difference between meditation inside and outside. So he decided he will participate in the outside meditation, at least until the sun will be at least six hours a day above the horizon.

"Private Riun, would you like any more of my green tea?" The voice of his Uncle sounded behind Zuko's back. Riun must have been asleep after all because he looked confused as if he didn't know what is going on. When he saw the old general standing above him with a steaming cup of tea and smile on his face, Riun immediately straightened up and looked for his crutches. Iroh only kept smiling and tried to relax him.

"Just sit still, you don't need to stand up. And you don't have to break your other leg for an old tea maker's sake." Iroh just patted him on the shoulder and put the teacup into his hands.

"Tha…thank you, sir." Riun was clearly embarrassed by the situation. After all it was the General who held Ba Sing Se to siege for 600 days, the Dragon of the West, serving him tea.

Zuko just rolled his eyes. He knew his Uncle too well to know, that the old man was teasing him on purpose. Most of the men in the crew knew him from the times when he used to lead the belligerent armies to Ba Sing Se. That was almost all he learned from the introductions to the crewmen in the beginning of their journey. But as usual, his Uncle got lost in some old stories and reminiscences from years ago and Zuko just couldn't keep track. It was because of that he had problems with the names of the crew up until now. About Riun he knew that he was the younger brother of one of the non-bender soldiers and from his looks, he could about ten years older than Zuko himself. From the crew, he only knew the names of Jee and Ming. He didn't even speak with the rest of them. Not like there would be something to talk about. They were soldiers. They were expendable to the Fire Lord just like all of the soldiers. That much he learned from the only war meeting he attended. But still, for some reason, he couldn't look directly at Riun sitting by the railing shivering from the cold. He let himself feel guilty about it. It was exactly why his father considered him weak, unfit for the title of the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. He brought dishonor to this title by acting like a weakling, but somehow he couldn't help it.

"Prince Zuko, will you stay with us?" His Uncle stopped him the moment he saw him leaving. "We're having music night to entertain our young injured friend here. I keep promising the men that you'll show them your play on the tsungi horn."

"No, thanks, Uncle. How many times did I tell you that I can't play the tsungi horn!"

Just a second ago, he was considering asking his Uncle about the next steps, but after the old man's last question, he didn't even want to see him. He kept embarrassing him with that damn horn. Uncle once saw him play the thing during his learning sessions years ago and he couldn't let it go. Zuko didn't want to see the stupid instrument in his life ever again. The lectures with the obnoxious teacher were just enough, Thank you very much!

But just before he would step into the dark hallway of the ship, Lieutenant Jee stopped him. "What?"

"Sir, we'll arrive at the port of You Feng by tomorrow morning. We'll have to stay for loading supplies." Zuko only waved his hand that he understood and headed for his cabin.


	3. At a Busy Market, You Can Meet All Kinds of People, Pt.1

 

The small seaport was unexpectedly busy. It looked like everybody was headed for the local market place. The port hosted more merchant ships at once, so the people got attracted from the whole neighborhood. As Ming noticed, General Iroh got really delighted at the opportunity of going shopping as well and left with the men charged with restocking. Ming, above all, needed to restock his own supplies of medicines and herbs which would help Riun to get back on his feet.

There were lots of people in the town, but it didn't go unnoticed to Ming that their group, thanks to their red uniforms, was standing out of the crowd. People were moving out of their way and tried to not look their direction. Actually, Ming was already used to such behavior, especially when they visited places outside the colonies of the Fire Nation. Although You Feng wasn't officially one of the colonies, it was under the authority of the Fire Lord. Small ports on islands around the Southern Air Temple didn't even have other option. The South Pole couldn't offer them any kind of protection for over a very long time.

General Iroh didn't seem to be the least bothered by the worrying looks of the bypassing. He was happily walking from a stand to stand and persistently bargained about prices with the merchants. Just before everybody would go their own way, Ming reminded them about the agreed time for their meditation and everybody went after their given task.

Ming started to ask the people for the local healer. "That would be Lady Mimasu," said an older man with big bushy eyebrows frowning. Ming noticed how he held his wife protectively behind him.

"I guess. But could you tell me where she lives?" He didn't stop smiling at the distrustful elder who would surely send him on a made up way, so he tried his best to look affable and friendly.

"She lives in a small house behind the town. The main road to the inland will take you there."

"Thanks," Ming was turning to leave when the old man added: "But don't be surprised when she starts to speak about cursed spirits or the Avatar or some other nonsense. She's got bats in the belfry ever since she lost her husband."

"Well, thank you for the warning. I'm sure I'll manage," Ming assured him. "All I need is few herbs." The old man's eyebrows formed an angry line, but then he just nodded and took his wife with him.

So Ming turned the way the old man showed him. The main road turned out to be pretty busy with more and more people rushing to the market. Only when he was completely out of the town he realized he was completely alone.  _How is it even possible?_ Asking for directions was out of question for now and he couldn't see the house the old man told him about.

Ming would turn to head back into the town, but then he noticed smoke rising from behind the group of trees to his left. He decided that there is nothing to lose, if he will check through the small forest and look, if the old bushy brow man didn't make a fool of him.

When Ming entered the woods, it seemed like he wasn't near a busy market town, but miles away from the nearest settlement. Ming wasn't sure, if it was because of the deep silence or something else (cold?), but he got chills all over his body. He crossed the small grove, and truly, a small house appeared before him. It had something what looked like a greenhouse overgrown by some strange big-leafed plant with blood red flowers, which were the biggest flowers he has ever seen. When he came closer, Ming saw that clouds of butterbees were surrounding the flowers and the plant's sweet smell hit him hard in the nose. Beside the house, there was also a ramshackle fence, which held pigchickens, goatsheep and lamacows, all of them together.

Since the smoke was rising from the house's chimney, he hoped that he would find the healer at home. Or maybe in the corner of his soul, he hoped that he wouldn't. Somehow this place gave him the creeps. He adjusted his backpack out of nervousness and before he knocked on the door of the strange house, he tried to put a smile on his face just like in the town, to not scare the old lonely lady that was going to open the door for a Fire Nation soldier.

Ming lifted his hand to knock but before he could do that, the door opened. Ming was so startled, he jumped back, still holding his hand in the air. A smiling woman appeared in front of him, probably a bit younger than himself, with long thick black hair falling on her back and intense dark eyes. She said nothing, only leaned on the door frame and with a mysterious smile on her lips and observed the man on her porch.

For a moment, Ming didn't know how to react, but when the silence became awkward, he finally recovered. "Hello! I-I'm looking for lady Mimasu, the local healer?"

"Hm," the woman only nodded, but otherwise didn't move. She didn't stop smiling and small sparks were playing in her eyes. Ming just couldn't figure her out.

"I would like to buy some medicinal herbs or get some advice on…"

"This is not a shop. I don't sell any herbs!" aloofly declared the woman suddenly, even her smile disappeared. She straightened up to look him directly in the eyes. Ming was surprised when he realized that she was the same height as him, while Ming himself wasn't among the shortest. "But if you need anything, then just let yourself in," she said with a warm voice again.

Ming just incredulously watched at her as she disappeared in the house. Well, he was warned that the healer is not all there but this was a different kind of not-all-there as he was expecting. He imagined an old lady mumbling some curses to imaginary people. This unpredictable, but still somehow interesting woman, surely wasn't anything he expected.

Still standing at the front door, Ming realized that he is hesitating, if he should enter or not. It seemed like she was charming him into the dark house with her smile and then she would trap him and curse him. An image of a black cauldron, with various limbs boiling in it, appeared in his mind. Ming had to scold himself inwardly for that ridiculous picture. How old was he for such ideas? Definitely too old. Then he finally stepped inside.

The house was cozily furnished, even though the room was a bit messy. Books, herbariums, vials, bundles of dried herbs were scattered all around the room, on the tables, pillows, cabinets, the shelves, even on the ground. Ming had to be careful where he was stepping.

"Would you like a cup of green tea?" The voice just behind his back made him jump again. The woman was standing there holding a tray with a steaming pot and again with that impish smile. Ming was quite a collected man, but this woman somehow managed to make him feel uncomfortable.

"N-no, thank you. I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Please, Mr. soldier…" she made a pause like she was waiting for something. Ming didn't get what she was meaning by that but when she cast a curious glance, he got it.

"Ming, my name is Ming."

"Ming, you have to sit with me, just for a moment. There is always time for a good cup of tea." It sounded almost like a command, so he sat down. The woman was clearly pleased. He took one of the cups and warmed his hands with it. Only then he noticed that the table is actually a decoratively carved Pai Sho board.

_The general would surely like this woman. Tea and Pai Sho. Two most important things in his life right after his nephew,_ thought Ming.

"Do you play Pai Sho?" she asked after noticing what he was looking at. She watched him over her own cup of tea with a penetrating look, like she was trying to see the answers before he would say them out loud.

"Just a little. But one of my commanders is a big fan. He would surely like your table."

"There's no doubt," came a mysterious respond again.

For a moment, they were only sipping their tea. Lady Mimasu, although she never introduced herself as such, was watching him the whole time making Ming feel even more uncomfortable. He really hoped that she was not waiting for symptoms of some poison she put in the tea to show. Ming got almost scared by that thought. He never saw her actually pour it. The tea was already served in the cups.

"So tell me, what do you need exactly?" The strange woman, pulling him out of his silly thoughts, put her cup back on the table and tilted her head to listen.

"I need to buy some ordinary painkiller medicines, something against inflammation, for fever reduction…" Ming stopped when she lifted her hand. A stern expression appeared on her face again, like she wanted to scold him right there.

"Ming, please, stop right there. I already told you, I'm not selling anything here."

"But in the village they directed me here…"

"If you need something, you can just ask for it and I will give to you. If somebody in a dire need of medical treatment, we can't ask him to pay," she was smiling again. Ming was only more and more confused.

"Just come after me," she said and stood up. Then she left to the next room. Ming put the half-finished tea back on the table and hurried after her.

The strong smell of mixture of all kinds of herbs and flowers hit him in the nose right away. The side room was a bit smaller than the previous and served as a storing room. There were shelves on each wall filled with little sacks, vials of all colors and bundled herbs, but this time it looked like they were ordered into some kind of system. Ming was quite amazed by the amount of the collection.

"So once more, what do you need?"

"Thanks for everything, I guess," said Ming on his way out. "You truly don't want anything in exchange?"

"How many times, do I have to say no?" Lady Mimasu was still persistent in her answer.

Ming's backpack was so filled, he wondered how it hasn’t burst already. He had never had so many medical supplies with him, he doubted that he even needed so much of them, but lady Mimasu didn't want to hear anything about too much.

"One can never know if something is going to happen. Every medic needs to be prepared for an emergency." Ming couldn't argue against it. And if she was giving them to him even without payment, then he had to stop protesting.

When they were already outside the front door and Ming was about give his farewells, the strange woman surprised him again.

"Just a moment, I'll give you one more thing." And she was pulling him alongside the house. Ming wanted to protest when he noticed the setting sun and remembered the meditation hour he promised to the crew.  _How long have I been here?_ But until he could say a word, lady Mimasu already stopped by the greenhouse.

"Here, take these with you," she said while tearing three huge blood red flowers off the giant plant. "It's an extremely rare plant called Agni's Eyes. It grows only in the deepest forests of the Fire Nation's main island. My husband was able to garner its seeds many years ago during his journeys. Actually, he was the one who discovered its effects. See, he was a great florist expert. The flowers bloom only during the winter solstice season, you are lucky to be here." She wrapped the flowers into a light cloth, carefully not to break their petals.

"You can put one flower into a cauldron of boiling water and you get something like a strong energy booster, but only for firebenders. It reacts with the inner fire and exemplifies it. The juice's effects can last even for a few days."

"What would happen if a non-bender drinks it?"

"Well, he would suffer of insomnia for probably a week and that's not even the worst of it. I really don't recommend drinking, not even a small cup for a non-bender or any other type of bender. Actually, I'm not really sure about the effects on other benders."

Ming was stunned. This strange plant could help all of the firebenders on their ship. It would help Riun for sure. And not only to them…

"How did you know we need this?" Right after that he realized he asked the wrong question. "Why would you tell me about this? A Fire Nation soldier?" He imagined someone like the infamous captain Zhao, would love to get a hold of a plant with effects like these. The woman smiled again, but Ming could see a slight reflection of worry in the lines of her face. Then she looked him in the eye.

"Let's say, I am a good judge of character. Somehow, I have a feeling that I can trust you to keep the effects of Agni's Eyes a secret." She smiled on him now more assuredly. She put the fragile flowers in his hands and winked. But it seemed like the wink wasn't meant for him because she was looking just above his right shoulder. He looked behind his back but saw nothing. The meadow in front of the house was empty, except the animals. Only a light wind caught his hair.

"Well, I believe, you're in a bit of a hurry. You should probably go and take care of those soldiers of yours. They will need their strength soon enough." Ming didn't understand what she meant by that and she didn't even left him an opportunity to ask.

She was already back in her house, leaving Ming alone with the animals behind the fence. Even they seemed strange. For such a big herd they were remarkably silent. And all of them were looking on him. That made him feel really unwelcomed, scared even. Holding the flowers carefully, he rushed away the same way he came.

Remembering the old man's warning, Lady Mimasu was a strange woman indeed, but definitely a different kind of strange than the man described.

The town was now even more filled with people than before he left. The sun was setting incredibly fast and Ming set a brisk pace trying to squeeze through the mass of people who were gathered on the market square without breaking the petals of the flowers he was given.

Ming felt a bit embarrassed when he realized he'll be the last one to get back to the ship, when he was the one who was reminding the others. At least he had a compensation in his hands.

He looked ahead trying to find the easiest way out of the crowd, when he noticed a couple of red uniforms in the front. Ming felt a bit glad that he won't be the last one after all. He headed right for the red group loafing by one of the stands offering liquors. Ming couldn't say he approved when they still had a meditation session ahead of them.

"I'd like to see the face of that little  _princess_. Zhao never fails to make him go spitting fire. Shu said that those five months ago when Zhao paid him the last visit, the prince's face was darker red than his scar!" That comment earned a round of laughter from the group of four Fire Nation soldiers who, as Ming figured, were obviously not from their crew. "One day  _His Royal Bratness_ will challenge him to an Agni Kai."

"Now that one I'd love to see!" They were so loud that the other people made a large circle around them fearing to step closer to the already drunk soldiers. Even the liquor seller looked nervous.

Fortunately, Ming managed to stay out of their view. The crowd was at least that much helpful. The last thing he would like is to be caught in argument with men from Zhao's crew.

What was Zhao even doing in these parts of the world? There was nothing of interest for the Fire Nation Navy here. Somehow, they managed to meet the not-quite-pleasant captain once in every few months. These times, Captain Zhao would always, more or less directly, mock the Prince. And that led to worsening of the Prince's mood for several days.

Ming hurriedly found his way back to the docks. Maybe there was a little time to warn the General and the Prince before the inevitable visit from a certain captain. Running on the pier, he realized he wasn't that lucky when he saw a group of five men leaving from their ship led by no other than the tall captain Zhao himslef. Ming stood aside and saluted to the higher ranked officer as the group walked by. The pleased look on the man's face didn't go unnoticed for Ming, as well as the smirks on the faces of the rest of the soldiers.

_So much for the meditation session,_ thought Ming sadly.

* * *

 

Zuko was waiting for the men to return for a while now. Some of them have returned but some were still out, probably with his Uncle. Some of the soldiers were already preparing the cushions for the meditation.

The sun was already low, when the most of the men returned with all of the supplies they obtained. His uncle was among the last bringing a brand new tea set with him while two other men were bringing the rest of his purchase. Now that was very typical of his Uncle. Buying unnecessary junk. The only one, who hasn't returned ye,t was Ming. The one who was supposed to lead the mediation.

Zuko was getting really impatient when he finally heard steps on the gang-board. He looked their way, but it wasn't Ming who was coming, but someone he would rather never see again in his life. Captain Zhao was somehow always there, when he was in his worst mood to make things even more unbearable. The man had a nose for it. Now, he was approaching Zuko and Iroh with his usual vicious smile with four other men following.

"General Iroh, Prince Zuko, I heard you were in the port when we arrived. I came to give you my greetings," he greeted them without even looking on the prince.

"Captain Zhao," Zuko gritted through his teeth.

"If you or our uncle would be interested, I would like to invite you on my ship for a cup of tea,  _Your Highness_. Maybe you could tell me about your recent travels. You're still looking for the Avatar, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are." Zuko refused to give him a longer answer.

"Then you can surely join us on my ship and tell us some details from your journey. I still have that ginseng you're fan of, if I remember correctly, general." His Uncles face lightened up.

"Well, one cup of tea would be …"

"No, thank you. We still have supplies to load and weʼre leaving early tomorrow."

"I see," he said looking on the pillows set up around the deck. "Maybe I can send to you some of that ginseng over, or more cushions if you need them. For a group nap, maybe?" Zuko was getting really annoyed.

"In any case, both of you are welcome on my board. We're staying here for a few days. If you need something, I'm ready to assist."

"Thank you, captain, I assure you, we won't be needing anything. Now, if you excuse me," with that Zuko stormed off the deck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will bemore parts of OC POV, but I promise, the story will revolve around Zuko.   
> Thanks for all the views and kudos and feel free to comment :)


	4. At a Busy Market, You Can Meet All Kinds of People, pt.2

Zuko ignored the banging on his door and calling for assembling of the firebenders. First, it was his Uncle, then Ming. He had better things to do than meditating or whatever they were calling him for. He didn't listen anyway. If all of them are assembled somewhere, it will be all the more easy for him to sneak away from the ship.

Zhao somehow always managed to make him angry to the point, he was exhaling fire. But in the last year, he has learnt to cool down faster than he used to. If he was to hunt down the Avatar, he needed to act quickly and for that he was forced to learn to control his temper. Or at least try. He still had a long way to go in this area, as well as others, but when he was alone and could change his focus, then he could cool down quite quickly. And now he was dressing into his black clothes and blue mask and had a focus on a very specific thing. He was going to sneak on Zhao's ship.

It is not the first time he did some sneaking around. Actually, the mask he stole was for this sole purpose. Zuko knew well, that his scar was a quite memorable feature of his face. So every time he had an opportunity at a port or anywhere, where Fire Nation soldiers were spending their leisure time, he would put on the mask and follow them to the inns, pubs or dark alleys to listen to their conversations. Mostly, it was just drunken gibberish, but few times he was lucky to overhear news from home or the latest updates on the progress of the Fire Nation army. By this time, he learnt to be quite good at being stealthy, but until now he couldn't gather enough courage to sneak in to more dangerous places, where the risk of being caught higher. But Zhao's last appearance gave him the final push.

He prepared a long rope with a hook and put it over his shoulder realizing that his dao blades would be a bit hindering. Zuko was quite confident in his fighting skills, even without weapons, and the rope was more necessary, so he left the swords hanging in their place. If everything goes right, then he wouldn't even need the blades.

The hallway outside of his room got finally quiet and Zuko glided out. He ran down the hallway, then the stairs. The deck was also quiet. Two torches were already lit since it got dark already. Everybody was probably gathered somewhere else. Zuko had no problem to sneak out unseen. He hoped it would be this easy on Zhao's ship.

Running through the shadows of the port, Zuko was glad that the market place was deeper in the town, attracting the people who were still in large numbers at the town. Zuko ran down the pier leading to the only other Fire Nation ship on the other side of the port. He stopped at the darkest place and listened carefully. The deck of the ship seemed to be quiet. Zuko imagined that most of Zhao's crew must be somewhere in the town getting drunk, like most of the soldiers and sailors did on their time off duty.

He managed to hook the rope to the railing on the first try without making much noise. Zuko climbed up quickly and silently. Firstly, he checked the deck. Upon seeing no one around, he climbed aboard. There were more torches lit up than on their own ship, but it seemed that he was alone, at least on the backside of the ship. He coiled up the rope to not leave any evidence of his presence behind and hid in the shadow of the large conning tower looking for the way in.

His plan was to find a military office and look for something useful. The military could have some information or at least indirect clues on the Avatar and Zuko was currently in a desperate need for a slightest bit of news. If someone had some information, it would be the Fire Nation Navy having its ships spread around the world. And Zhao just liked to bother Zuko so much.

Zuko found an open door inviting him inside the tower's darkness. The hallway he entered was completely dark, except a flickering light coming from one of its ends. He moved quickly without making a sound, searching for any kind of noise signalling presence of guards. He looked around the corner. The hallway continued to circle the tower. This part was lit by a couple of lanterns and was lifeless, like the whole ship seemed to be. Zhao probably granted his crew an evening off duty, not fearing any uninvited guests in this part of the world. Actually, even Zuko was invited just a few hours ago. He smiled behind his mask at this thought.

If the ship was anything like their own ship, the captain's office was somewhere higher in the conning tower. He needed to find the stairs. Moving forward, he inspected each turn and corner of the hallway. Suddenly, a pair of voices came from the front. Slowly approaching, he noticed what could be the front door of the tower. The voices were coming from the outside. Naturally, the stairs were right in front of the opened door. Step after step, Zuko took his chances. The two men were turned away from him, conversing not exactly in quiet.

"…and I'm already sick and tired of this place. The sun was up for what? Four hours?"

"Well, it could have been five."

"Huh. What are we even doing in this Agni-forsaken place? If Zhao wouldn't be so close to promotion, I would be asking for relocation. Even now, it had to be me who had to stay and guard his side-burned lazy ass."

Zuko stopped midway on the stairs.  _So Zhao is still in. And probably in his office._  That meant that he would have to find a place where he can wait, hide and check on Zhao, all at once.

He ran up the stairs leaving the unsuspecting guards behind. The hallway before him was empty as well. Now, he had to come with a plan. Listening carefully, he tried to find an empty room he could hide in for a while. The room on his left seemed to be quiet, so he tried to open its door. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Zuko couldn't believe the luck he was having. His problem was solving itself alone. The room was filled with Fire Nation uniforms.

Zuko found himself a fitting one to not look suspicious and hid the mask under the armour before putting on the helmet. He was really grateful for the helmet's design hiding the face of its wearer. Also, he decided to leave the rope behind, but took the hook off for later purposes.

The plan he came up with was to blend in among the guards patrolling the hallways. This way he could look for Zhao and his office while he wouldn't even raise suspicion, even if he was to be seen. Zuko was angry that he didn't think of this idea earlier. He could have borrowed a uniform from one of his own men and come in right through the front door. It seems that the harder way was just meant for him.

Returning to the hallway, he tried to look as little suspicious as possible, no longer trying hard to conceal his steps. He walked over the long corridor, again trying to listen for any signs of a presence of somebody else. When he didn't discover anything, he moved to the upper floors of the tower, guessing that Zhao's office would be on the higher levels.

It felt like hours. Zuko was roaming the poorly lit corridors of the tower, from time to time stopping by different doors to listen for any sign of Zhao's presence. This time he wasn't lucky. All the same, he decided to stay on the top floor, believing that the office was surely somewhere in this area. He chose to stay by the staircase, as if guarding the hallway, until Zhao comes out.

In that moment, the door on the very end of the corridor opened and a familiar figure was approaching him. Zuko saluted, as the totally unsuspecting captain walked passed him, not even looking his way. Holding his breath, Zuko remained in his spot, until the steps of the man faded into the silence of the lower floors. Only then, Zuko allowed himself a small grin behind the face plate.

He ran over to the door which Zhao didn't even bother to lock.  _Was that man really that careless_?  _Was it going to be that easy?_ No. When Zuko pushed the knob, the door appeared to be locked after all. It had to be a new locking system which didn't require a key to manually lock. The hook Zuko took out of his pocket would have to do.

He felt quite proud when the door soundlessly opened. The room was only a bit lighter than the dressing room, thanks to the lights coming from the town through the large windows. He realized that he cannot make a greater light, if he wanted to go unnoticed from outside. The flame in his hand had to remain small.

The office was a big room, furnished better than an ordinary military office or any other ordinary ship of the Fire Nation Navy. Zhao was truly on his best way to a promotion, just like the guard said, to allow himself such luxuries. The ship looked like a whole new vessel straight from a shipyard. The furniture of the office could be probably just as expensive as the furniture at the Fire Nation palace.

Zhao's table was hidden under mounts of papers and maps. Zuko was delighted. He was bound to find something interesting in so many documents, letters and maps. Holding his hand just in the right distance to see and not to set alight the papers, he started to examine paper after paper. It was mostly basic military communication, nothing what would help him. Zuko was getting frustrated, until he rolled out the maps from one of the shelves of the table. They were maps of the world. On each of them were various markings signing different places, he didn't understand.

Then he came across a map with small golden markings. He would have overlooked the map completely had he not noticed marks on the Western Air Temple. _What would Zhao look for on the abandoned island?_ Except Zhao wasn’t. Slowly he started realizing that the markings were mapping his own expeditions. All of the Air Temples, the seaports in colonies where they spent longer time. For a moment, Zuko was taken aback. Why was Zhao keeping track of his journey? And how come it was so detailed? Studying the map, there were markings on every place where they stayed more than one day.

Zuko’s mind started to race. He tried to come up with reasons for why would the hated captain monitor him. Was he keeping an eye on him? Was Zhao interested in the hunt for the Avatar as well? Was he  _told_ to keep an eye on him? That was the most likely option. But the only one who he could think of to do such a thing was…  _Did his Father care after all_? The small flicker of hope he tried to suppress for so long came alive again. He needed more clues.

He started to wade through the papers with a new vigour. There had to be more, there had to be something, what would tell him why. While examining the table closer, he noticed a discreet drawer.  _Now this will be the place with the more interesting stuff._  He opened it quickly.  _Bingo._  There was only one letter. It had the broken Fire Lord's insignia on its front. Without thinking, Zuko grabbed the letter and started to read:

_Captain Zhao,_

_You have proved yourself to be a loyal servant and a true son of the Fire Nation. The Fire Lord expects, that you can be trusted by a private order of monitoring the progress in the mission of the banished prince. Although the reappearance of the Avatar is very unlikely, but if any hint of his return would turn up, the Fire Lord expects nothing less than your immediate takeover of the mission of his capturing. The shameful presence of the banished prince and his return to the Fire Nation is an unwanted option. For your concerns, you will be awarded with a proper promotion on my own command._

_Fire Lord Ozai,_

_The Highest Servant of Agni and Supreme Ruler of the Fire Nation and its colonies_

Zuko read the letter once, then twice and once more. A swell was building inside his throat. All thoughts disappeared from his mind. His whole body switched on an automatic regime. He put everything back on its place, walked out of the office and down the stairs. Later he couldn't even recall how he got off the ship.

He recovered himself when he was already outside, aimlessly wondering through the port which was slowly hiding in a thickening fog. He couldn't go back to his ship. Being alone was a much better option for the moment. Even the thought of facing his Uncle was out of question. He knew him too well, he would know just by looking at him, that something is wrong. Without thinking, Zuko climbed on the rooftop of the nearest house and moved across the town unseen and unheard, all while his body was shaking. This lasted until one of his unsteady legs slipped on the wet surface of a steeper roof. Somehow, his fall remained silent, but not without impact.

Zuko slowly collected himself. First, he adjusted the mask to see. His shoulder and the right side of his back ached, but didn't feel like anything has broken. But the pain woke him up from the lethargy of his mind and all came flooding back. The letter, the map, getting his hopes up just moments before they were crushed again. The thought, that his father would send Zhao to look after him because he cared for his banished son, seemed ridiculous now. It was only the smallest of hope in his heart that he tried to ignore, but the disappointment was still overwhelming. There was no love or at least honest interest for his children left in his father's heart for a long time, or in ever. The only thing his father cared for was power.

 _Daddy's going to kill you. Really he is._  Azula's voice sang in his head again. He really should have learnt by now what is the way in his family. Survival of the fittest where the weak ones disappear, get banished and or worse.

Zuko's hands were shaking, so he clenched them. If he wasn't wearing gloves his palms would probably bleed by now. His eyes stung as they were filling with unwelcomed tears.

In two years, just now he could finally see the true meaning behind his mission for what it was. Finding of the Avatar was not supposed to give him hope. It was a mockery. His father disgraced him, cast him away and mocked him. He wouldn't even speak his name…no…he wouldn't even write the name of his own son on a stupid piece of paper _._  Only a banished prince for his father, a spoiled brat for his crew and a joke for the rest of the world. It was all he was.

He didn't even notice when he fell to his knees. Now this would be a sight his father would sure like to see. A disgraced failure kneeling and crying in some dark alley in an Agni-forsaken seaport. Now that would be a sight for the whole nation to laugh at.

After this thought, he couldn't take it anymore. He stood up, on still shaking legs and took a deep breath while leaning on the cold and wet wall. He won't give in such thoughts. He may be a banished prince, but he still is a prince. He is the rightful heir to the Dragon Throne and he won't allow his father, Zhao or sister to take it away from him. It is his destiny and he will fight for it, even if alone. All he has to do is to get his honor back. His father took it away from , but he will damn sure give it back as well.

If there is an avatar, he'll make sure it will be him alone who will find him and take him back to his father. The Fire Lord will have no other choice than to welcome him back. The goal of his mission was made public after all. It maybe was supposed to be a joke at his expense, but he will definitely turn it against his father.

Zuko took another few calming inhales and exhales and got in touch with his inner fire. He kept breathing until he was able to exhale a few sparkles of the dragon breath letting the comforting warmth flew through him. He was already feeling much better. The shaking stopped and he was able to stand upright.

 _What now?_  He didn't even know where he was. He was probably on the outskirts of the small town. Somebody on the ship would probably notice that he's missing, but also, probably not. Still, he wasn't in the mood to get back to the ship just now.

Maybe staying out for a few hours more would prove useful. Maybe he could find out more from Zhao's soldiers. Although, he was not exactly sure, if he wanted to find out more.

Zuko examined his surroundings. He was in a narrow dark alley, which ended into a fog covered street. Nobody was around. Zuko had to guess in which direction the center of the town was. The market was surely there and where the market is, there are inns and pubs with visitors overflowing.

He looked around, searching for a building which would be easier to climb. To remain unseen, it was easier to move on the level above the streets. One of the houses across the street had a smaller wooden shack attached to its wall. Zuko silently ran towards it and without a greater effort, he was already jumping from one rooftop to the other. He continued, until he heard voices. Lots of loud voices, actually. When he looked in their direction, he noticed a dim light, which could be a great flame, if it were not for the fog.

Zuko set a faster pace and headed into the direction of the light. Suddenly, the smell of smoke hit him in the nose. There was no more doubt. The strong light was a fire.  _What could have happened?_  Silly question. After all, the town was full of firebenders, maybe even drunk firebenders.

The fog and smoke were mixing, creating an impenetrable wall, making it hard to see and breath. Zuko had to stop at the very last rooftop, right above the square, to see what is going on the marketplace.

At the moment, it resembled more a great bonfire than a market place. People were running away from the fire in panic. The buildings around the square were lit red by the huge flames. Zuko watched in shock, how the sea of fire grew larger by every passing moment nearing dangerously to the houses. Zuko's mind started to panic. He had no idea what to do. The easiest would be to sneak back to the ship. But he couldn't do that. What if it was his men who caused the fire? It would be his responsibility.

Before he could decide what to do, a big unnatural lash of flame came from the marketplace, what couldn't meant anything else than a firebender. Zuko creeped across the rooftops closer and he noticed a group of men fighting close to the flames, almost too close. They were six men and half of them had red fire nation clothes. That could be only soldiers off duty. Judging by their movements, they couldn't be sober. Actually, it looked like that the firebenders were not even aware of their firebending.

The stalls started to crumble and the last people were running from the flames' reach, except the group caught in the middle of the fire, literally.

"Chien!" the general noise was cut by a high-pitched cry. There was a small girl running across the square, headed directly to the group of the fighting thugs.

"Chien!" she was crying loudly at one of the men, ignoring the flames completely.

In that moment, Zuko hesitated no more. He climbed down from the rooftop and ran after the girl. He caught up to her just when one of the firebenders hauled off and created a giant fire whip. In the last second, he managed to pull the girl back from the approaching flame. Pulling her by the clothes, Zuko got the struggling child to safety.

"No! Let me go! Chien!" Zuko just pulled more forcibly by the shirt and led her in what looked like a safe alley. "Let me go!" cried the girl wholeheartedly, no more than ten years old. Tears were flowing in ponds from her eyes.

"No! Chien... He'll die!" she was sobbing and pulling on Zuko's arm. Unfortunately, he had enough of it. He caught her by the shoulders and shook her strongly to wake her up from the almost hysterical cry.

Apparently, it helped, because the girl fell silent. She looked on her captor for the first time, almost jumping at the sight, fear replacing the tears in her eyes.  _Right, the mask._  The mask wasn't exactly friendly looking, Zuko remembered. Nevertheless, he decided to use the fear to scare the girl into doing what was safe for her.

"Stay here!" he said with an intimidating voice, hoping that it would work on the smaller child.

"But my brother," she wasn't giving up.

"Stay here, until it will be safe to walk out!" he tried again while pushing her a little back.

He looked over to see the square. Probably from the fear from the unpredictable firebenders, the people still haven't tried to start to put out the flames, which were gaining on size. Here only firebenders can help, if the people don't want to have half of the town burned down.

"Change of plan!" He looked back on the small girl. She looked more than surprised by the sudden change of his approach. "What's your name?" She was watching him carefully now.

"Yongchi," she said with a firm voice. The fear was starting to get replaced by commitment.

"Yongchi, listen to me! I will help your brother, but you have to help me as well. You will go to the port. A smaller Fire Nation ship is anchored there. Not the bigger, the smaller. Tell them what is happening in the town, that you need help!"

"But they are Fire Nation…"

"But you will need firebenders to put out the fire. Now run!" The girl didn't protest anymore and ran in the direction of the port. Zuko had to hope that his soldiers stayed there and are not scattered across the town. Only his Uncle would mean a great help.

But firstly, he had to take care of the cause of the fire while staying undercover. Heading out of the alley, he ran directly to the group, still so caught up in the fight, that they didn't register their surroundings were turning into a disaster scene.

Using the moment of surprise, he jumped right on a Fire Nation man kneeling above another man and hitting him in the face. Zuko crashed into him with all of his weight, knocking him away for more than two meters. Using the time he gained, he pulled up the man with the bloodied face and ordered him to get out. Actually, he was more of a boy than a man, barely older than Zuko himself. He wasn't arguing about the chance to run off and did as he was told.

 _One gone, five to go._  Zuko automatically reached for his dao, except he grabbed empty air. He stiffened for a moment and he remembered an image of blades hanging on the wall.  _Right._  He left them on the ship. This was going to be harder than he imagined. In front of him, the Fire Nation soldier was clumsily trying to stand up. At least now, Zuko could see that they were not his men.

"Who the hell are you?" asked the man. Realizing that without his swords or firebending, he was being outmatched by the men, Zuko didn't give the man the time to collect himself. With a couple of well-aimed strikes to his stomach and neck, Zuko took him off balance. Then he made him trip and the man was on the ground again, this time with embossed breath.

It was only then, when the rest of the man noticed the new participant in the fight. They looked on him confusedly, what he used for his advantage. He spurned apart the two men who were already holding daggers at each other, while managing to twist one of the daggers from the taller man's hand. But the other one was already coming after him. Zuko felt how the tip of the small blade made contact with his mask. At the same time, he noticed a light glare coming from the left, what could only mean a nearing firebender's fist. He jumped back avoiding a clear hit just in time.

Making few steps back to see all of his opponents, he had a little time to think. Basically, his plan was to stop the aggressive group from making more damage. Momentarily, he was succeeding in this goal, as the four men were focusing on him and the fifth was giddily rising from the ground. He got himself a dagger, at least.

"I said, who the hell are you?!" repeated his question the soldier. The other one, who was still holding his dagger, was slowly approaching him. Zuko didn't answer. Instead of answering, he just pointed at the disaster scene surrounding them, hoping they'll understand.

The men looked around what used to be a market place. One of the firebenders, realizing the problem, made his exit, running fast in the port's direction. However, one of the villagers suddenly roared loudly and jumped on the closest firebender.

 "Damned firebenders! You put our town on fire!" He knocked the firebender down and started to strangle him with bare hands. That wasn't exactly the reaction Zuko was aiming for. The Fire Nation man tried to push the man's hands away, but didn't succeed. Zuko had to react quickly.

The man immediately put his hands down, when he felt the blade of his own dagger on his neck. He visibly gulped and slowly stood up. Zuko didn't stop pointing on his neck. The other villager grabbed his friends shoulder and was pulling him from the place.

Zuko wanted to turn to the remaining opponents, when suddenly the world went black for a moment. He felt the hit on the back of his head. He staggered and the stone pavement gave him another blow. But losing consciousness was out of the question. Almost immediately, he was back on his feet, even though the world was spinning around him.

He saw, that the soldier he knocked out of breath was grinning vindictively. The alcohol was fuelling his aggressiveness, erasing the rest of the world. The bloodlust was clearly visible in his eyes. Zuko only held his dagger tighter, although he knew it wouldn't be much of a help, if the man decided to bend. Slowly, he was retreating, but he couldn't get much further. There was a wall of fire right behind him.

"Chen! Stop!" The soldier, whose life Zuko saved just a minute ago, was getting up from the ground while coughing strongly. "We have to go!" However, the other man ignored him completely and sent a huge fireball on Zuko. He dodged it to the side but he was too slow to move out of the way completely. Standing up, he felt a burning pain on his shoulder. He looked down to see that a big part of his sleeve was burnt down.

The soldier was still grinning and was preparing to fight Zuko by himself, but his comrade stopped him. "That was enough! We're out of here!" said, while holding the other man's arm firmly.

This time he listened. While leaving the square, he kept his eyes, still longing for violence, locked on Zuko.  

Being the only one left, Zuko collected himself and lumped back to the alley, where he pulled the girl in before. His head was still spinning and his arm burned and stung with each movement. Now, he only wanted to get back to his ship. He roughly had an idea, which direction would take him to the port. Moving on the rooftops was out of question for now, so he had to move in the shadows, the fog helping greatly. There were already people hurrying to the scene to try to extinguish the fire.

* * *

 

Ming was collecting the last of the bandages. He cursed himself for being too slow. Everybody has left already. The firebenders being the ones, who left immediately after the small girl arrived, with General Iroh leading them. The others gathered buckets and went after them, leaving Ming behind, as he had to prepare his first aid kit.

Putting the bag on his back, he was prepared to head out. But when he opened the door of his cabin, he was totally taken by surprise.

Kneeling on the floor was their missing commander. The prince was just emptying his stomach on the porch of his cabin.


	5. Old Scars and New Scars

"Prince Zuko?"

The prince looked up with feverish eyes. His face was pale, contrasting with his black clothes and the dark red scar. The hair, usually tied up into a phoenix tail, was wet from sweat and now was stuck to his neck. With his left hand, he was clumsily trying to hide a blue mask behind his back while his right hand was…

"Sir, your shoulder."

"I… came to… I think, I'm not well," with that the prince disgorged another dose of stomach fluids.

Ming instinctivelly almost stepped back, but as a medic he immediately recovered and helped his commander on his feet and led him into his self-made infirmary.

"Prince Zuko, we were going to look for you, but there was an emergency and everybody had to leave. What happened to you?"

The prince didn't answer. He couldn't or he didn't want to. He just kept clutching his head, so Ming just put him on the cot.

The first thing, that Ming thought of, was, that the young prince escaped and overdid it with the drinking, but there was no smell of alcohol coming from the prince or the vomit on his porch. The boy smelled only of smoke and sweat. Ming quickly prepared a basin with water and soaked a couple of bandages.

"Sir, you have to tell me what happened!"

Zuko looked on him with effort, like he couldn't maintain focus. "I burned myself… in the fire… the town," he said slowly searching for words while looking amazedly on the burned shoulder.

"I can see that," said Ming quietly while ripping off the remains of the sleeve. Zuko responded with a silent hiss and his shoulders tensed a bit, when the cold bandage was applied. "And besides that? Other burns or …" Then it hit him: "Have you hit your head or injured it otherwise?"

"Y-yes," came the answer after a long pause and that was it.

_Well, if you don't want to speak, then don't_. "Hold these bandages to your shoulder," Ming ordered him then and took a candle from the table to check the reaction of his eyes and examined the prince's head closely. Zuko reacted with a sharp inhale when he touched the sore place on the back of his head. There was already a bump growing.

"It looks like you have a concussion. How strong was the blow?"

"Not that strong, I think."

"Did you lose consciousness?"

"No, I didn't."

Ming nodded.

He soaked new bandages and cleaned the wound. The burn didn't seem to be very serious. After a few weeks, there shouldn't be any scar left. But Ming couldn't help but be reminded of the first weeks on the ship. It was him after all, who was tending the mysterious burn on his face. He still felt a slight pinch of guilt that he couldn't be of better help. The burn was very deep back then and whole slices of dead tissue were coming off for weeks. It had to be a firebending injury - that much he was sure of. The process of changing the bandages was a bloody and a painful routine for the prince in the first months, but it had to be done, if they didn't want the wound to get infected. It was also that time when Ming learnt to respect the young commander, at least for his quiet enduring of the painful sessions. He had to go through too much for somebody that young. Somehow, the rest of the crew tended to forget about that due to the prince's temper tantrums.

This time, luckily, it were only blisters, so he just bandaged the arm and gave him a glass of water. "Drink it while I send someone after the General..."

"No!"

Ming didn't expect such a sudden reaction from the still dazed prince. "You mustn't tell… don't tell anybody about today. Nobody can see me. I will go to my cabin…" He tried to get up, but he lost his balance immediately, so he sat down again.

How was he supposed to tell anybody anything if he didn’t even know what was going on? And why should he even follow the stubborn prince's silly orders? The boy couldn't even think right in the moment. But he also couldn't ignore his commander's direct order.

"Sir, stay here. Your uncle was worried. He has to be told that you're back." He saw that Zuko wanted to protest, so he stopped him by lifting his hand. "I can tell him that you came back not exactly in a sober condition and that you went to sleep right after."

Zuko processed the option Ming proposed, then he slowly nodded in agreement.

"Drink the water while I'm gone!" This time he didn't protest and Ming went to look for somebody who had stayed on the ship.

Ming walked up to the deck where he found two remaining non-bender guards, Zanshi and Hien, playing cards . Hien noticed him but didn't look away from his cards.

"What's going on, Ming?"

Looking upon the men, Ming wasn't surprised that a boy with concussion could get pass them so easily.

"Prince Zuko is back. I'll go to tell the general." Both men looked on him with surprise.

"Prince Zuko? When…?"

"Just a short while ago. He wasn't very well. The boy hasn't learnt to hold his drink yet." All of them laughed, Ming only pretending. He would never be able to laugh at someone in such a bad condition as he left the prince downstairs.

"I have to go, but there is some washing up to do in front of my cabin. If you could help…"

"You've got to be kidding me," Zanshi stopped laughing right away, but Hien poked his comrade.

"Of course, we'll do it. Just go to the town already."

While leaving, Ming heard Zanshi complain some more: "What will come next? Will we have to wipe his royal arse?" _Well, this idea certainly didn't help the relationship between the crew and their commander to get better_.

He walked into the infirmary to find Zuko asleep, still sitting and holding the empty glass _. I wasn't even gone for so long_ , wondered Ming. He took the glass from the prince's hands and put him down on the cot.

Only then he took his time to observe things as Zuko's clothes, which certainly weren't his usual, or the mask which fell on the floor when he was taking him inside. Watching the bandages covering the burn, he was trying to put the pieces together.

They noticed Zuko's absence only after the girl came to the ship screaming up from the pier, calling for help, when they wanted to inform their commander of what's going on. He must have been long gone by then, but they had to put the extinguishing of the fire over the search for the prince. Those who stayed on the ship were ordered to let the others know about his return.

Zuko's clothes, the mask, smell of smoke and the burn, they all spoke about Zuko being near the fire, while not wanting to be recognized. It didn't make much sense to Ming, but he decided to make the prince speak once he wakes up.

What is that boy up to? Ming knew of Zuko's headstrongness and obstinacy, he had to have a strong reason to be wandering around the town. Slowly, he started to think that the prince has something to do with the fire. It wouldn't be that surprising, as the prince somehow liked to get into trouble.

Ming couldn't waste more time, he put the pack on again and headed out. They surely needed him.

* * *

 

Zuko was back in the arena. Dozens of people were standing in the auditorium waiting in silence for what is going to happen on the stage. Agni Kai. Zuko was once again asking his Father for forgiveness. He looked up on the person standing above him. But this time, it wasn't the face of his father he saw. Instead it was that soldier with bloodlust in the eyes. He made a growling noise and hauled off a fist to Zuko's face. He made a defensive movement with his arms but a burning pain in his shoulder stopped him.

"Sir! Wake up!"

Zuko opened his eyes. Instead of burning eyes he saw Ming's strict, but somewhat worried face. Zuko couldn't make out where he is or what is going on, what does the ship's healer want from him or why is everything around him spinning. The pain in his upper arm woke him up and the memories from the previous night started to come back making his headache. But Ming was already giving him a strange hot beverage. It was blood red and overly sweet smelling. Zuko wrinkled his nose and backed from the substance as he almost gagged from the awful smell.

"I guess we have to wait with this, but you should drink it as early as possible before it loses its effects."

Zuko looked suspiciously at the glass as he put it back on the table. Noticing it, Ming smiled. "Don't worry, it's not a poison. Actually, it helped greatly to all of the firebenders." Then he gave him a cup of tea instead.

"It's only tea. Against the headache." This time Zuko took it, because his head truly throbbed with pain. Even thinking straight was hard. Looking around he started to remember how he got here. But the memory of arriving to the infirmary was so humiliating, that he regretted that he had to remember at all.

"You have concussion. You had to hit your head pretty hard yesterday. But it shouldn't be anything permanent, so in few days you won't feel a thing. Until then I recommend bed rest," said Ming while looking strictly to emphasize that he truly meant it.

_Concussion_. Yes, he mentioned it earlier. Even the memory of the hard impact with the square's stone pavement hurt and the bump on his head seemed like it was the center of the pain.

He was halfway through with the cup when he noticed that he was still in his black clothes from yesterday's night and his mask… where was his mask?

"You're looking for this?" Ming took the familiar mask from the table and waved with it. Zuko was going to take it from him and go right away to avoid any questions, but as he stood up hurriedly, his head started to spin once more and the nausea came back. He had to sit back. Ming was only smiling contently like he knew that Zuko couldn't escape. That made Zuko feel really incompetent and subsequently angry. Very angry, actually.

"You shouldn't make any sudden movements. It could make you sick in the next few days."

Zuko nodded and wanted to stand up more carefully, but Ming hasn't finished. "It was quite a long night yesterday. The whole market was burned down. All of us had to help. General Iroh taught the men a new technique of extinguishing fire. We never saw anything like it before. It was very effective." Ming made a dramatic pause, making Zuko know what is coming.

"It looks like that some thugs and firebenders got into a fight after a few drinks and set on fire the market stands."

Ming was looking at Zuko with probing eyes. But he decided to put on a stone face and not show anything.

"Apparently, some kind of mysterious figure with a blue face appeared and stopped the fight. The girl that came for our help, Yongchi was her name I think, was even claiming that it was the same blue spirit thing that sent her here and saved her brother."

There was long pause after. Zuko was looking into his cup, not knowing what to say. What was he actually supposed to say? The medic apparently didn't need any kind of confession. Everything was pretty clear.

"Did anybody get hurt?" he asked in the end.

"Few burns, nothing serious what time wouldn't fix."

Zuko looked up. The man was looking right back and it seemed that he was still waiting to hear some explanation. But Zuko didn't want to go deeper into things. He didn't want to say where his last night's trip started or anything else in particular. The medic already knew just enough.

"But you have slept all night in your cabin after you had too much to drink. Today, you're sick, so you'll stay in your bed resting while staying on a diet. I recommend lot of water, rest and no demanding movements. Am I clear?"

Zuko was confused at first, but then the feeling of gratefulness overwhelmed him. He expected that the older man would definitely want him to explain each detail or making threats about telling his Uncle. But it seemed it was not the case.

"But with all respect, sir, next time be more careful, because you would make your uncle worry too much," added Ming still with a strict face, while giving him back the blue mask.

"There will be no next time." Of that he'll make sure. There will be no stirring into other people's business. He's no vigilante. He's got his hands full of the search for the Avatar.

"That I'm glad to hear."

Zuko took the mask exchanging it for the cup he didn't want to finish. This time he stood up slower and wanted to leave for his room.

"Sir, take this with you," said Ming stopping him midway to the door. Zuko looked down to see that the medic was giving him the blood red beverage again.

"What is it?" asked Zuko failing to hide the suspicion from his voice.

"Well… there is no name for it yet. It's a beverage from a flower called Agni's Eye." Now Zuko didn't mind to look suspicious. He never heard about such a flower.

"It is for firebenders. It exemplifies the diminished inner fire. I guess it is exactly our case. That was why Riun was in such a bad condition. The drink should make the recovery a lot shorter. The sooner you drink it, the stronger will be the effects. It was already made yesterday when I gave it out to all of the benders, but you didn't bother to come to the meeting." Zuko looked on him grimly, as he didn't appreciate the man's tone, but took the drink nevertheless.

"I'll drink it." Holding the drink far from his face to keep the smell of it away, he finally left for his cabin walking slowly through the quiet corridors.

He closed the door behind him. It felt like ages being back in his cabin, when it was just last night. The first thing he did, was to put the mask safely back on its place. It was already too many people who knew about his disguise. Only then he carefully sat down on the futon.

Zuko examined the glass of the blood red fluid. It was thick and opaque. To overcome the sickness, Zuko clogged his nose and drank it in one gulp. The beverage left a strong sweet aftertaste in his mouth, making him look for water to flush it down. But the sudden effects made him stop mid-motion. Warm feeling was spreading from his throat and stomach, everywhere where the fluid made contact. He felt it reach deep within him, running through his veins, finding its way to the very center of his body.

Zuko almost forgot to breath. The first thought that came across his mind was that the drink is poisonous after all. But then it touched his inner fire, kindling it, until drops of sweat started to form on his body. That definitely marked the time to change his clothes. But before that he couldn't resist to try to firebend. He was just too curious. Zuko flicked his hand. The fire that followed came in a huge wave, almost burning down the tapestry with the Fire Nation insignia. Zuko jumped up in shock, immediately regretting the sudden movement.

"Where did Ming get this?" Zuko made a few other firebending katas, but he had to stop, if he didn't want to burn down his room completely.

* * *

 

The town was busy. Even busier than two days ago, when the market was still standing. The streets were full of people, especially men, but women and even children were also scattered through the crowd doing their best to be helpful. Every man seemed to be bringing logs or planks to the central square. Women were clearing the remains of the used-to-be marketplace or bringing refreshments for the men who were already building new stands.

Zuko was surprised at how quickly the town's people recovered, while he observed his surroundings walking down the main street from the port. Everybody was ready to give a hand in the works. What was really striking to Zuko, was the fact they even excepted help from his soldiers. They were now mixed in the working crowd, only their red clothing standing out. Zuko couldn't say he approved. They could have been long gone from this place, instead they were helping some peasants, doing charity work. They were Fire Nation soldiers for Agni's sake.

It was his Uncle's fault. His soldiers weren't obliged to help in any kind of construction work. He was just about angry with himself for getting involved in the whole fire business. It earned him only a constant headache and lost hours of training. And his Uncle just loved to stall his mission by any means necessary. Sometimes, he wondered, if his Uncle was distracting himself on purpose just for the enjoyment of torturing Zuko with his long shoppings and bath house visits or was it the old age and its quirks.

When he caught sight of his Uncle, it was all clear to him. The old man only wanted to show off his tea making skills. And this time he had a square-full of people. Uncle Iroh was currently walking among them, offering cups of his tea to the hard-working men. What was actually surprising, the people were excepting them, even smiling back on his Uncle. His Uncle must have made quite an impression on the town's people with putting out the fire, it was the only explanation. They were never welcomed this warmly at any place they visited, not even the Fire Nation colonies, not speaking of the Earth Kingdom. Maybe, it was thanks to the fact that this was not the Earth Kingdom and it wasn't touched by the war that much.

Still, despite the warm welcome, Zuko wanted to be already on the move. Zhao has also left, most probably recognizing his fault, leaving the mess his soldiers made to his Uncle to deal with. It was the main reason Zuko didn't like that it was them who were helping the town's people. Zhao managed to make a fool of him once again. It made his blood boil almost as much as that strange beverage Ming gave him two days ago.

He walked to the makeshift stall his Uncle used for making tea. The stall was standing on the side of the square, giving him a nice view of the whole market place. This way he could get a good view of his men working. Every one of them was there doing various works like sawing, nailing, lifting up the stands. Each of them looked engrossed in the work. None of them looked particularly suspicious. Not like Zuko expected to see it on the first look. Actually, he wouldn't even know if not for the visit of Zhao's ship. The only one missing was Ming. He was probably somewhere where he was needed. At least, that was what Zuko hoped for.

He spent the last two days thinking. Thinking really hard about what he found out in Zhao's office. The captain was keeping a too detailed track of his sailing routes. The only way of him knowing so much was that he had a spy on his board. Zhao was maybe pretending that he took his mission as a joke, but the man was more calculating than that. It looked like that he wanted to know everything about his journey, just for case. _For the case that it would bring him promotion from my Father,_ thought Zuko bitterly.

It was because of these thoughts and rising paranoia that he barely got any sleep in the past days. But after a day spent in his cabin constantly fighting nausea and having dark thoughts, he had to get out. However, mainly he wanted to keep track of his soldiers. Until now, he didn't pay much attention to them or to what they were doing, except when he needed them on his expeditions. This will have to change now. That or he would need to get much more careful.

Any of his men could be the one informing Zhao. Actually, it could be each one of them. Zuko knew of their dislike of him. They could be doing it just out of spite and it wouldn't even surprise him. Maybe except Ming. In fact, it was his biggest fear. Ming knew more than any of the others. It could turn against him quickly. If it was Ming who was Zhao's informant, then the captain could already know it was him who fought his men two days prior. The thought made his head ache more, to the edge of the unbearable. He had to find out who was the spy and he could only hope that it would not be the ship's medic.

"Prince Zuko, your frown can make adults run for their lives! Here, have some nice jasmine tea."

Zuko's line of thought was abruptly cut by his Uncle's sudden appearance. The comment certainly didn't make him frown less, if not more.

Uncle Iroh was bringing back empty cups to wash and refill and in his shadow trailed a smaller girl, also bringing a tray of empty cups. She was peeking out from behind his Uncle's back, big eyes set on Zuko's face. His annoyance was growing, until he realized that he knows those eyes, although they were looking on him with bigger fear than two days ago.

"Don't be afraid, Yongchi. You see, my nephew is upset only because he hasn't got his share of the finest tea this island has ever tasted." Uncle Iroh was smiling from ear to ear and held out the cup to Zuko.

"I saved the last cup just for you." Zuko wanted to retort annoyedly at first, but for once he stayed content with a sigh. "Just give it to the girl, I'm not thirsty."

"Are you sure? Ming said that you should drink more, now that you're sick."

"I feel better," Zuko didn't like that Ming was discussing his health condition with his Uncle without him knowing. He did promise him that he won't be telling anyone... He had to convince himself that Ming had to tell something to not raise suspicions. Suddenly, he had problem to not see suspicious behavior in anything his crew members did. This was getting ridiculous.

"Then, Yongchi, you are lucky! Today you'll have a triple share of my finest tea." The girl's cheeks reddened and she stepped back in refusal.

"N-no, thank you, sir. I've had enough. I think, H-His Highness should have the tea." She made a deep bow in front of Zuko, clearly not having the slightest idea who Zuko was exactly or his history. She just reacted how she thought it was appropriate to the title of a prince.

"Don't... don't bow," whispered Zuko in low voice that the girl got startled. The fear in her eyes reminded him of the night before yesterday. This time the fear got mixed with confusion. "That's really not necessary anymore."

The girl gave him even a more puzzled look, if that was possible. But Zuko let it be. He didn't mean to explain himself further. The sting of shame when only thinking of his dishonor was still too painful, not speaking of explaining himself to a simple peasant girl.

"Nephew, you shouldn't be so touchy. Yongchi meant you no disrespect, she just..." Iroh stopped himself, when he realized his choice of words. The air quickly became hot and small flames already formed around Zuko's shaking fists. Yongchi, noticing the sudden shift in the atmosphere, backed away and was ready to run off, still holding the tray of empty cups.

Just when she was turning away, Zuko got a hold of himself. "Yongchi, wait..." The moment she turned back, he knew he should have let her run away. The realization was written all over her face.

"You are the..."

"I will have that jasmine tea, Uncle!" he said loudly to stop her in that instant and literally ripped the cup out of his Uncle's hands, spilling half of its content on the ground.

"And the girl wants some more as well. So just go cook us another tea, yes?" Uncle Iroh stood there a bit confused with the sudden change of his mind.

"Prince Zuko, how many times have I said this? One cannot cook a tea."

"Sure you can. You cook the leaves, after all." Zuko pushed his protesting Uncle to the set of kettles and looked back at Yongchi. He had no idea what to do with the girl. Did he really have such a recognizable voice?

"It is you. I knew it was your voice! You're the Blue Spirit!" the girl said with an excited voice. _The what now?_

"Stop it! Someone will hear you!" He looked around anxiously, but it seemed no one heard them. It was probably thanks to his Uncle who started to sing one of those awfully old Earth Kingdom songs.

"But you saved my brother! And his friends! The whole city!"

"I said stop it right now! You cannot tell anyone! Do you understand?"

She looked on him questioningly. "You saved the whole city and everybody is talking about you. You're the Spirit from Lady Mimasu's prophecy!" Now it was Zuko's turn to be confused.

"Firstly, I didn't save the whole city. It was Uncle Iroh who stopped the fire. I just..." he didn't know what to say, so he moved to the other topic. "And secondly, what prophecy?"

"Well," the girl started to smile pleased that he finally didn't want to shut her up, "nobody believed that it was a prophecy at first. But the fire really did happen and the Spirit really came to the rescue." Zuko hated that the child couldn't speak clearer. And on top of that she moved to the vat near the stand that served as a sink and started to wash the empty cups.

"The prophecy, Yongchi!" She gave him a huge grin, like she was happy that he called her by her name. "Yes, the prophecy. You see, there is this local healer, Lady Mimasu. She lives outside the town alone and she's a bit crazy. Everyone who comes back to the town from her house talks about the crazy stuff she says and prophecies. They always say that she talks to invisible people and comes up with crazy stories. Like one time, she always used to talk about the Avatar's return and ..." Yongchi continued in her confusing musings, but Zuko stopped listening right there. Avatar's return.

Avatar's return. Could a crazy talk of some madwoman be considered a reliable source? Could it be that he found a clue to finding the Avatar? He had to remain skeptical. He wasn't exactly the type for this type of lucky coincidences. But maybe, it was his first time. First time being lucky enough to find a clue in a place where he didn't expect it. He tried to suppress his hopes for this new founding but he couldn't stop the rise of his inner fire in his chest.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Huh?" Zuko was caught off guard.

"If I can ask you a question?" The little girl stopped washing and was looking directly in his eyes. So here comes the question about the scar.

"I guess."

"Are you really a prince? Because, I don't know, you don't look like it." A genuine curiosity was reflected in her eyes. Zuko, on the other hand, if he could be or should be honest. He still considered himself to be the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, of course, otherwise he wouldn't be here and he was ready to fight for this title to his very end. However, his Father and possibly the rest of the world, didn't share this view. And finally he wasn't sure, if the girl wanted to hear that, indeed, he is the prince of the "evil" Fire Nation.

"Most surely, he is," came the answer from behind their backs. It was Ming who decided to show up and seemed to be amused by the little girl's question.

"But for now, our commander likes to travel the world more than attending weekly balls."

Yongchi's face brightened up. "That sounds like so much fun! I've always wanted to become a captain of a trade ship when I grow up. But my brother doesn't like it. He always says that I should just stay here and be a stallholder like him. To stay safe. But he can't say that anymore. Not after the fire."

Zuko, however, couldn't agree with the dream of the little girl. If he had a choice, he would much rather stay at home than wonder around the world for a target that didn't seem to exist. But now...

…. _Avatar's return_.

"Yongchi, what did that Lady said exactly about the return of the Avatar?" The girl shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. That's just something the others mentioned."

"Then who are those others or better, tell me where can I find this Lady?" Zuko grew quite impatient.

"She lives down the main road to the inland. Do you really want to visit her? Can I come with?" She held onto the dishcloth expectantly, giving him kittenpuppy eyes.

"No. I'm not even sure if I want to go."

"Sir, you're speaking of Lady Mimasu, the local healer, aren't you?"

"Yes, that's her," the girl replied still with a disappointed voice. Ming looked around them to check if nobody's listening to them by chance. Fortunately, Zuko's Uncle was still providing them with a distraction of old Earth Kingdom songs.

"Sir, it's the healer who gave me the red flowers for the beverage," he said almost whispering.

Zuko couldn't believe. "You gave me and a strange drink from a plant you don't know, from some crazy woman? Did you lose your mind?" Ming looked offended.

"From my point of view, she certainly wasn't crazy. Just the opposite. As a matter of fact, she reminded me of your Uncle." Zuko looked over to his Uncle who was currently singing some love song to his tea pot.

"I don't think you've proved your point, Ming."

"Well...uhm..." Ming didn't know how to react, but Yongchi saved him from a reply: "Why are you so interested in the Avatar? It's just a story, right? He doesn't exist, just like weremonkeys or werebats?" There was a slight worry in her voice.

"The Avatar is a real thing all right. He is just hiding really well so that no one can find him." At least that's what Zuko kept repeating to himself.

"And the weremonkeys?" The girl asked wide-eyed.

Ming laughed out loud. "They are just fairy tales," Zuko assured her.

"Sir, if you want to want to visit Lady Mimasu, I can take you to her," offered himself Ming when he was done laughing. With that the whisper of paranoia came back, reminding him that Ming is just as suspicious as the rest of the crew members, if not more. The suggestion that he would like to join him for the visit of the healer to learn information on the Avatar made Zuko even more alert.

"That's not necessary. I can manage." Fortunately, Ming didn't seem to push the issue further. If he really was the spy then he could go visit the healer alone and question her by himself. Once again, Zuko realized just how unfortunate it would be, if Ming was indeed Zhao's spy. From the whole crew, it was only him who he would have to confront. The others weren't let in on important things.

"Tell him that I went for a walk," said Zuko while looking on his Uncle. Ming nodded that he understood.

 "But please, sir, be respectful. She may be a bit odd in her behavior but she is, in fact, a very accomplished healer." If the woman was anything like his Uncle, maybe he tries to control himself. Although he didn't think he was any successful in that even with his interactions with Uncle.

"Oh, and before you go, sir. The house you're looking for is not visible from the main road. You'll have to go through a grove on your left to find it."

"I'll figure it out, thanks." He was certain he would figure it out without being advised. "And the road is that way," Yonchi pointed across the market place. Now they were really just patronizing him.

"Sure," he grumpled and left without any other word.

Zuko passed by the working villagers. Most of them didn't pay attention to him. Most probably they didn't even know who he really was. Others looked a bit suspiciously since they haven't seen him yet. But when some of his crew men saluted him, the suspicion faded from their expressions. That was something he haven't encountered yet during his travels. Although he wouldn't acknowledge it openly, he appreciated this change.

When he finally arrived to the edge of the town, he saw no house, no building that was described to him, only narrow meadows and trees on both sides of the road. What did Ming say? To turn left?

He entered the forest on his left side and truly after a minute of walking a small clearing appeared in front of him with a small house at its center. It had a greenhouse attached overgrown with what looked like could be the flower Ming talked about, at least the color looked awfully similar.

Walking closer, a herd of all kinds of animals ran up to him and watched him warily through the fence as he approached the house. He didn't know why, but for some reason he got goosebumps from the whole scene. Him walking to an ordinary house, what was wrong with the picture? That was when he realized that he can hear each of his light footsteps and each beat of his heart loud and clear. The silence was just too deep. He never experienced such deafening quiet. Even the animals looked like they were afraid to make any noise. They were looking on him like they were trying to warn him only with their eyes: "Don't break the silence!" It was like he could hear them in his head, but it was surely only the voice of his own fear.

Zuko has never felt so out of place, maybe except the fateful war meeting. The exact same instinct overwhelmed him as back then. To run. To run away from this strange place as soon as possible. He liked to think of himself as anything but a coward but this silence was not normal. It held an actual presence like it was alive. The feeling was so incomprehensible that he had to convince his legs to move forward.

Who was this woman if she could live in a place like this? He would certainly go crazy himself if he was to stay here for any longer period of time. It felt like the place was cursed by spirits and not intended for people to longer occupy.

He came up to the front door of the house and even the idea of knocking seemed like challenge. But he had no other option. He would never back away from a chance like this one. The information on the Avatar was just behind this small door in front of him.

The knock was just as loud as he imagined. It even startled the animals behind the fence, having most of them running away in all directions.

Zuko kept waiting for answer that was not coming. He really didn't want to use his voice. That would feel like too much of a disturbance, like it would disturb something, what shouldn't have been disturbed. Like he would draw too much attention on himself. The attention of the presence. He hated himself for thinking of such foolishness.

But still he knocked. Again no answer. So he knocked louder. He already started to think that she wasn't at home when the door suddenly swung open.

"Sorry, my dear, I was in the back room," spoke a tall black-haired woman that appeared in front of him and looked on him with open interest. She wasn't anything like Zuko imagined as he imagined a female version of his Uncle when Ming said that she reminded him of Iroh.

Although she already broke the silence, the sense of presence lingered and Zuko still didn't feel like speaking.

"You don't have to be afraid, just come inside," she invited him with a warm smile, until it suddenly turned into an angry expression and she stepped outside. "That of course doesn't regard you! Behave and stop scaring our guest!"

"I am not scared," hissed Zuko almost inaudibly the obvious lie. Who was the woman talking to? The animals? It wasn't the animals that made his skin crowl. Or maybe it wasn't the animals she was talking to.

"Come in, come in!" she hurried him pulling him by the sleeve. "They can't come in if they are not invited."

So she wasn't speaking about the animals after all. It surely was that something - the presence. Was he also going insane?

"Your fire attracts them, you know. They really like the warmth of a nice inner fire, just like you have. Especially, after the beverage I gave to Ming. You must be like a beacon!" She started to giggle and Zuko was only able to stare at her in awe. Does she know who he is? Did Ming tell her?

"The winter solstice is making them really restless. I was just making a wreath of blackberries and clove to calm them a bit. Maybe I should make them a cocoa drink as well. Wouldn't you like a cocoa drink?"

"What?...I just... no. What is a cocoa drink?" Zuko was really confused by the woman who wouldn't stop rattling. And was she speaking of the animals again?

"Oh, you don't know! Then you have to try. Come and sit down here." She led him to the low table in the center of the messy room and made him sit down on one of the cushions before Zuko even knew what is going on. Then she moved to the pot by the fireplace and started to prepare the drink from a dark powder. Zuko already decided not to taste the thing.

"So, let's hear it. Why did you come?" asked the woman without turning. Zuko considered the situation. He tried to think of a way to tell her as little as possible.

"I heard that you might have some information on the Avatar. If it's true I would greatly appreciate any piece of information."

He stopped for a moment to let the request sink in. The moment of silence seemed a bit long and Zuko started to feel nervous.

"Tell me why should I tell the Fire Nation Prince any piece of information on the Avatar? I appreciate that you didn't come with soldiers and threats but tell me, why should I tell you?"

Zuko gritted his teeth. How was he supposed to persuade her now to give up the information? He didn't plan on telling her who he was because then she certainly wouldn't tell him anything. Zuko cursed Ming for telling her who he is. There really wasn't any other way of her knowing that he was the prince of the Fire Nation.

"Don't blame that nice medic of yours. Ming is his name?" said the woman like she knew what he was thinking about even without looking. Was she really some kind of psychic? "Then...how..."

"How did I know? You're a bit recognizable, don't you think?"

Zuko didn't answer. He knew very well how recognizable he was. But in this region no one seemed to recognize him only by his face, until now. And why was it that this hermit woman was the one to recognize him?

"So, once again, why should I tell you and what do you want with the information?"

Zuko knew that there was no point in hiding anything and he wasn't good at lying anyway. "I have to find the Avatar to regain my honor," he said blankly.

"Only find?"

"And capture him," he was pushed to add. She finally gave him a look. It clearly told Zuko to be honest in his answers, otherwise there is no chance that she would tell him.

Zuko waited for a reply but the woman remained silent and continued to stir the drink she was preparing. At this point he was expecting the woman's refusal, maybe she would even throw him out. After all, except for the Fire Nation, the Avatar was a symbol of hope, hope for ending of the war and restoration of the harmony between the four nations, even after hundred years. And here he was, admitting to the woman, who lived in the Air Nomad territory of all places, that he wants to hunt down the only hope for the world in reaching the long lost balance and expecting help.

Zuko felt stupid. He could almost hear the mocking laughter of his younger sister. _Silly Zuzu, asking for help a loony peasant woman_. _Pathetic! She won't even tell you. That's how pitiful you've become._ But he could do nothing except waiting for the woman's reaction, so he just kept clenching his fists.

But she only kept stirring the dark brown drink like she completely forgot about him. Zuko really started to consider this idea, until she turned to him with a smile on her face and put a cup of the dark beverage in front of him.

"And a final Fire Nation touch!" She sprinkled a pinch of spices on the top of the thick substance. He looked on the thing suspiciously. Did she just spiced his poison?

"I promise you haven't tasted anything like this before, it's an ancient Fire Nation recipe," she said and sipped a bit from her own cup. "Just the right measure. You have to taste it."

Zuko took a sip very warily having bad experience with the woman's recipes. But the taste was really something he never experienced before. It was bitter but delicate and on top of all spicy. It was really Fire Nationy. Zuko had to abandon his suspicions as something so deliciously tasting couldn't possibly be a poison.

"So first things first, you haven't told me your name," she inquired looking really pleased about his evident appreciation of her cooking skills as he drank half of the cup in one gulp. Zuko put down the cup a little bit embarrassed by her apparent amusement.

"I thought you knew who I am?"

The woman really was difficult.

"I know you're the banished prince of the Fire Nation. But that doesn't mean, I know who you are or your name." The healer seemed to detracting from the topic. Zuko started to suspect that maybe she didn't even have any information on the Avatar. But he had to comply. He started bad already. And the woman looked like she wasn't willing to cooperate if he doesn't cooperate first with her.

"My name is Zuko," he said quietly.

"What an unusual name! Truly befitting of a royalty!"

"What do you know of royalty?" he couldn't stop himself asking bitterly.

"Not much, I admit. But I like your name. So you want to capture the Avatar to regain your honor. I don't see a connection. How does one gain honor through capturing people?"

Zuko started to feel uncomfortable. "How did you lose it in the first place?" Now he was feeling really uncomfortable.

"I would rather not talk about that. I need it to be returned or else I cannot return home."

"But honor is not prize you can win. It is determined solely by your actions."

Zuko looked away. She was just another of those who didn't understand his situation. He had to regain his honor in the eyes of his Father, what also meant regaining his honor in the eyes of the whole Fire Nation. He disgraced himself so lowly that the only way of redeeming himself was to capture the last remaining hope of the enemies of the Fire Nation. Why so few people understood this?

"As I see it, you want to return home to be restored as the Crown Prince, am I right? To one day become the Fire Lord."

It was a statement that struck Zuko very unusually. He hasn't heard his ambition voiced out loud before. Of course, he wanted to become the Fire Lord, it was his destiny. Not his sister's or anyone else's on that matter.

"First, I want my honor back or else I'm not even a prince. Not worthy to return."

"And bringing the world's last hope for peace in chains to the Fire Lord will give it back to you?"

"It is not as you make it sound!" She still didn't understand. The Avatar was most likely a cowardly old man, not the world's last hope. The Fire Nation's win was only a matter of time. His Father will make sure of it. There was no Avatar to change that. He was only a symbol of the long lost times that he was ordered to catch as the nation's last great enemy.

"Then how is it?" She looked on him with real curiosity. Zuko had to think about what to say because he felt that the answer will determine if she's going to help him or not. "If I capture the Avatar or not, it won't change anything. If my Father wants to rule the world, then there is no Avatar that can stop him. I just want my honor back and that is all."

Mimasu also looked like she was thinking about his answer while she was drinking her cup of the drink. Zuko started to feel that he failed to persuade her, but he couldn't explain himself better.

He had to wait until she put down her empty cup. To Zuko's surprise, she was smiling at him like she completely forgot about the last minutes of their conversation.

"I'm going to help you."

Zuko was totally taken aback. Finally, after two years, is he going to make the first steps?

"Stay here. I'll be right back." She ran out of the room, but before Zuko even started to guess what did she go for, she was back. The only thing she was carrying was a large thick burning candle. Zuko anticipated scrolls, books, maybe a map. There was enough light in the room. Why was she bringing a candle?

"I thought you have information on the Avatar," he said impatiently when she put the candle on the table and sat down, clearly not intending to bring anything else.

"I never said that. You heard it in the town?" she asked not waiting for an answer, murmuring something about old tattlers.

"Don't look so disappointed. I said that I might be able to help. But it could be risky, so I will need your consent later on. First, I'll explain."

Zuko started to be a bit nervous. He did conduct many risky and dangerous things to find the Avatar. He didn't mind risks. However, he felt that the woman's offer will be a totally different kind of dangerous than rock climbing.

She held the candle with both her hands and kept looking into the small flame.

"My husband was a great Fire Nation scholar and traveler. His knowledge of herbology and drugs was well known and respected even by the Fire Lord's court. He travelled across all the Fire Nation islands in search for new species of plants and herbs. He invented many new medicines. The flowers I gave Ming, Agni's Eyes, to prepare the drink were also his discovery.

His research was famous and respected through all of Fire Nation, even Earth Kingdom. However, some of his findings he considered too dangerous to share. Agni's Eyes being one of them."

"How are they dangerous? They helped me and my men to recover," Zuko protested.

"Try to imagine that he was to give the drink to the Fire Lord or the military, as the obligation dictated to the members of the Grand Academy. If the drink would be used as stimulant instead of a medicine on firebending soldiers - how it would change the progress of the war?"

Zuko easily remebered the effects of the sweet drink. "Firebenders would have easily overpowered other benders."

"Exactly. Do you know of the Sozin's Comet?"

"Of course, Fire Lord Sozin used the power of the Comet to defeat the airbenders."

"Defeat wouldn't be my choice of word, but yes, the Sozin's Comet gave great power to the firebenders."

Zuko realized what she was implying. "Is the drink that strong? Can it make firebenders that powerful?"

"I don't think it would make them Sozin Comet powerful, but it would give them a significant advantage over other benders." She looked him in the eye with an intense gaze. "That's why I want you to promise me that you won't say about the drink to anybody."

"If keeping it a promise means that I'll receive help in finding the Avatar, then I promise I won't tell anybody... but why did you give to Ming then?" Mimasu looked outside the window as if the answer was outside, although it was already getting dark so there wasn't much to see.

"I was warned," she said quietly, as if she was admitting to something shameful and held the candle a bit tighter. "I was warned that the town will be in danger and that only firebenders will be able to help. So I made a risky decision. But think it turned out pretty well, don't you think?"

Zuko wasn't so sure about it. His head still wasn't well, as well as his bandaged arm.

"Besides, Ming seemed as an honorable and responsible man." The weight of paranoia sank his heart once again. But he didn't want to risk his chance of getting help by telling the woman of his suspicions. However, he will have to deal with the problem a soon as possible if he wanted to keep the promise he just made. It already could be too late.

"You were warned about the fire? But it was an accident or...?"

"I don't predict future if that's what you're thinking about. But they are much more sensitive when it comes to sensing upcoming disasters." She pointed out through the window. Zuko felt shivers run down his spine. Was she talking about that presence again?

"Let me explain myself," she clearly saw his confusion because she had a small, a bit sad smileon her face.

"As I said, my husband made many great and dangerous discoveries that he kept secret. This flame is one of them." She pointed at the small, but bright flame of the candle. It was as ordinary as any other candle flame Zuko saw in his life.

"How can a flame be a discovery?"

"My husband obtained it on his expedition to Crescent Island. The volcano on the Island is one of the most spiritual places in the world. Place of many restless spirits of deep fires. The Island is interweaved with caverns and tunnels formed by the shaking earth and smelting lava. In these places burn fires, which are connected to the Spirit World. They attract the spirits of the other world and create crossing paths. My husband said that he was never in a place like that, where the two worlds are so mingled, you cannot tell whether the things you see are from this or the Spirit World.

The flame of this candle is from the very fires of the Crescent Island tunnels. It is why you felt what you felt in front of my house. The fire of the tunnels attracts them from the Great distance, even if it is only this small."

"But you said it was my inner fire that attracts them."

"Yes. In the days around the solstices, they are especially sensitive to spiritul fires of any kind and during the winter one all the more. It was perhaps this fire that made them sensitive."

Zuko still didn't get how all of this can help him find the find the Avatar, although all the information was very interesting and it kind of pleased him that he was let in on information on things, which was intentionally kept secret even from his Father.

"You might ask how can any of this help you in finding the Avatar. It is only a theory, so it might not work, maybe indirectly at least."

She put her hand right above the small flame as if she was trying to touch it. "During the transport of the flame home, my husband got accidentally burned by it on his hand. Since then he physically felt the spiritual activity in the scar on his hand. In other words, he became sensitive to spiritual activity."

"Are you telling me to burn myself with this spiritual flame to feel if the Avatar is in near distance?"

"Well, yes. In my theory, this how it should work."

"But the Avatar is not a spirit!" Zuko protested.

"I know. That is why it's only a theory and why it is so risky. The Avatar is still the bridge between the two worlds. His strong spiritual energy could trigger a sensor such is the scar."

Zuko wasn't really comfortable with the spiritual things. It was a topic which his Uncle would understand better. But the theory made sense and it could work. And he was at a point where he would accept any help in finding the Avatar. And it wouldn't even expose his crew to danger.

"What would happen if I agreed? What are the risks?" Mimasu sighed. "The risk is that I don't know what are the risks. My husband died shortly after receiving the burn, before he actually got to study it."

"What? He died?!"

"It had nothing to do with burn, I can assure you!" She looked hurtly away and Zuko felt embarrassed about his sudden outburst.

There was a minute of silence between them and Zuko felt like he should probably say something to apologize. But Mimasu spoke before he could think about anything.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you more about the effects of the burning. I haven't tried to burn myself. I didn't gather enough courage and besides I have plenty of spirit activity going on around my house. There are patches of calming herbs plant in the greenhouse and the garden to keep them at rest. I don't need a scar to remind me of them every day. So you're free to think about it."

Zuko had already decided. He couldn't afford to hesitate. If he was offered help, he was going to take it. Danger or any risk hasn't stopped him before and this time, it wasn't any different.

"I'll do it."

"Are you sure? You haven't even considered..."

"There is nothing to think about. You're offering me an easier way of finding the Avatar and I'm taking it."

She took a deep sigh and pushed the candle in the middle of the table.

"Very well. I'll have to warn you that the fire is different from an ordinary one. It doesn't emit any heat." She put her palm just above the flame and let linger to display. "However, when it touches you it burns much stronger than normal fire would. My husband described it to me as if his hand had been pierced by a dagger."

Zuko nodded that he was ready. "So I just put my hand into the flame?"

"Well, if you want the scar to be on your hand?" May be he should put it on a less visible place. His Uncle and most likely Ming would notice and have questions. And if Ming was the spy, then all the less he wanted him to know.

"The back of my shoulder then."

Mimasu only nodded but without a word took the candle. Zuko took down his cloak and rolled up the sleeve of his right shoulder. He put his hands on the table and looked on Mimasu to signal that he's ready.

She stepped behind him.

"On three. Alright?" He nodded again.

"One. Two. Three."

A dagger of flame pierced all the way through his shoulder. The smell of burnt skin filled the room. The muscle was being scorched. The burn went deep. Into his very heart. In his fire. An unstoppable scream scrambled its way from his throat. A cup of already cold cocoa was spilled on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit longer chapter, but the story is finally starting to progress ;)  
> Feel free to tell me your opinions in the comments


	6. Paranoia and Recovering

Ming was on the way to his cabin after the daily check-up on Riun's condition, which was gradually improving. He felt lucky that the he didn't encounter general Iroh, who kept questioning him the whole afternoon about the whereabouts of his nephew. He was forced to repeat the same thing over and over again, but the answer didn't seem to satisfy the boy’s uncle. At this point, Ming decided to tell him the truth, if the prince would not turn up until the general asks him again.

However, the ship remained quiet. The men were resting and probably minding their own business after the long day of labor. The absence of the prince bothered him because of his habit to get himself in trouble. Also, he could have already been back without him noticing.

Ming stepped into his cabin but before he could close the door behind him, someone else did it for him. A chill ran up his spine. In the dim light of a single candle, it took only a moment to recognize the features of Prince Zuko. He would be relieved and scold the boy for surprising him in such a manner, but the prince was emanating an aura of danger around him. It was nothing like the usual infamous temperamental demeanor but a cold glare filled with daggers and fever maybe? His appearance was all the more dangerous as he held onto his antique dual blades and the posture of his body told him that the prince was no stranger to their use.

"Prince Zuko, what's going on?" Ming tried to recover from the uncomfortable surprise. For a while Zuko continued to glare, not minding to answer.

"Say Ming, is Zhao a good pen pal? Is his calligraphy as refined as his manners?"

If the look would not tell him, then the voice would tell Ming that something is off with his commander. Zuko's voice was unusually low, but showed a bit of trembling at the same time. And why should he know anything of Zhao's calligraphy?

"Did he promise you a nice warm place on his ship or was it money? Maybe revenge?" Zuko stepped few steps closer, making Ming back away from the reach of the blades. The light of the candle exposed the pale and sweat-covered skin and glassy, feverish eyes. The tremble also showed in his steps.

"Sir, it looks like you have a high fever. Did something happen when…?" Ming was cut off by a blade pointed at his throat.

"I'm not stupid, Ming! How much did you tell him? Does he know about the mask? About my involvement in the fire?"

Ming was never really scared of his commander before, even if his temper tantrums were sometimes bordering on scary, but this feverish paranoia that took over the young prince was something else entirely.

"Sir, I have honestly no idea what are you talking about. Why would I be informing Zhao about anything? I didn't even tell your uncle. I promised not to tell." He was glad that he could omit the part of him deciding on telling his uncle about his today's trip if he would ask him again.

"Did you? Why would you then…? You went to Lady Mimasu… the Avatar…" The Prince raised his right arm higher but failed, a pained grimace appeared on his face and the sword fell on the floor with a cling. Ming was confused. Did the burn still hurt that much? It couldn’t be –

 it was the other arm.

"Sir, what happened? Did you hurt your arm?"

Instead of an answer, Ming got another odd reaction. Zuko backed away looking almost distressed and raised the other blade in what looked like a defensive position. He clearly hit a sensitive point. A new injury could very well explain the paleness and the fever. But where did Zuko get the idea of him being a spy for Zhao?

"Has Lady Mimasu said something…?" It looked like he hit a nerve again.

"It has nothing to do with her!" The daggers returned into Zuko's eyes. "Zhao…you…someone informs him about everything…my mission…he wants the Avatar." Zuko was trembling more and more and successfully confusing Ming.

"Zhao wants the Avatar…for my Father. My Father… my Father…"

Ming had to react quickly as the prince started to sway dangerously while dropping his guard. He supported him to the cot and carefully took the other sword away from his hand. The Prince didn't even seem to notice and kept repeating something about the Fire Lord.

A light touch on his forehead told Ming that the Prince indeed had a high fever. "Sir, if you could let me look at your arm…"

 At that Zuko defensively clutched his shoulder and tried to get up, but Ming pushed him back down. It started to be annoying that he always had to fight the Prince to allow him to do his job, but now, Zuko was too unpredictable, so he didn't show any signs of annoyance. He also realized that he will have to convince Zuko that he really isn't Zhao's spy or whatever the prince's feverish paranoia kept telling him because he won't be able to do anything for him.

"Sir, listen to me for a moment," he looked into the prince's unfocused eyes, "I can assure you - I am neither a spy nor an informant for Zhao. If anything, I would be just the opposite. You're not the only one despising that man on this ship. Some other soldiers and crew member share very similar feelings towards captain Zhao. In fact, there is an unpleasant history." That finally captured the prince's attention and he loosened up a bit.

"Three years ago, a similar island of Western Air Nomad territory as this, decided to rebel against the Fire Nation's rule. We, I mean the navy, were ordered to create a blockade. Seven ships were charged with patrolling for supply ships and we were commanded to sink any foreign ship on sight. The blockade had lasted already more than half year, winter was coming and the island was much less hospitable than this one.

One night our ship spotted a couple Water Tribe sailing-ships. The firebenders on our ships were in a similar condition as they were here just a few days ago without the Agni's Eyes beverage and we were also low on supplies, so we could sympathize with the islanders very much. On top of that we knew of the fighting style of the Southern Water Tribe sailor. Leaving the ship would mean certain death for all of our firebenders. Finally, our captain made a decision of letting them through.

However, the news of our captain's decision got to the ears of the captain in command of the blockade who was none other than Captain Zhao. He would not hear the reasoning of our captain and all of the crew and soldiers were punished and stripped of titles. Half of your crew, Prince Zuko, are the men from that ship. I personally was the medic on that ship and lieutenant Jee was our captain."

Zuko visibly gulped. In that moment, Ming really couldn't tell what was going on in the prince's mind.

"As you can see, sir, you're not the only one in exile," he added a little bit quieter and almost instantly regretting saying it out loud. A prince's exile is on a completely different level after all.

"I-I'm sorry," the prince suddenly said with a weak voice, completely different from the previous threatening one.

"I didn't know, Ming… I'm sorry." He looked utterly defeated and exhausted.

"I know, you didn't know. All I can say for myself is that I would never betray any honorable commander, if it were you or Lieutenant Jee or General Iroh and certainly not for a person like Zhao." At that, Zuko's eyes gleamed a bit with an unidentifiable light and the expression on his face was not one of those Ming could recognize.

He finally seemed to be relaxed enough for Ming to take a look on his hurt shoulder.

"Sir, if you could let me take a look…" But the prince kept stubbornly clenching it, not allowing the medic to see or remove the fabric of his tunic.

"First, you have to promise again. You cannot tell about this to anyone. Not my Uncle, Jee, or anybody else!" 

 _What was up with all this secrecy with the prince?_ The boy certainly found a hobby in keeping secrets and Ming didn't like it one bit. Especially, when he was pushed to lie to General Iroh. But witnessing the determination in the prince's eyes, he knew there was no backing away.

"Fine, I promise," Ming gave up. Zuko nodded and let go of his shoulder. There wasn't any cut or scorch on the tunic, so Ming guessed that the shoulder was dislocated again. However, when Zuko rolled up his sleeve, the injury showed up to be a small but fresh burn mark. The size of the burn didn't match the amount of the pain Zuko seemed to be in, not speaking of hindering the movement of the whole arm as he saw before. The burn didn't even seem to be deep.

"This is it?" asked Ming, but Zuko looked on him questioningly and then looked back on his shoulder like he himself hasn't seen the injury yet. "I mean, you didn't hurt your arm anywhere else?" The prince only kept twisting his head in denial.

"Maybe it's just deep. Could you give me something against pain?"

Deep? It certainly didn't look like that was the problem. Ming doubted that it would even leave a scar when it heals up. And still, this was the first time Ming heard Zuko complaining about pain. Not even when he was dealing with the scar on his face. Things went from weird to weirder ever since the prince got back from the healer.

"Well, I could give you some pain-numbing ointment and something to pull down the fever… are you sure you're not hurt somewhere else?"

Zuko again shook his head. Ming had to conclude that the boy, except the weird burn, was still exhausted from the fire incident two days ago and that the small injury was probably just wearing him down much easier.

"What you really have to do in the next days is to rest, until your strength returns."

"Or you could just give me that red beverage…"

"I'm sure that it is not how that drink is supposed to be used." Zuko looked a bit disappointed, but didn't protest any further.

"Besides, I have only limited supply and it is only for emergency cases, such as Riun was in," Ming felt the need to add.

He took the numbing ointment from the medicine chest and then closer examined the burn on Zuko's shoulder. It didn't have any particular shape, so it could be inflicted only by a smaller flame. He cleaned it with water and then spread the ointment quickly, because the prince's whole frame started to shake and goosebumps appeared on the exposed skin.

"If I were to ask you, how did you get the burn, would I get an answer?"

 Zuko stayed silent.

"I don't need to check on Lady Mimasu tomorrow, if everything's alright, do I?"

"There is no need," he replied with a small voice, which wasn't very convincing, but still Ming decided to trust the boy.

Ming finished his work and the question of how did Zuko come up with the idea of him being a spy for Zhao still hang in the open, but he decided to let it slide for the moment.

"Sir, you should go rest for now." Zuko nodded, although it looked like that he knew very well what Ming wanted to ask of him.

Ming helped Zuko to his cabin and made sure he laid down to sleep. Before leaving, he also put a wet cloth on the sleeping boy's forehead. Upon glancing at the unusually empty wall of the room, he remembered the swords they left in the infirmary. He went back to retrieve them, but when he arrived Zuko wasn't alone in the room anymore. General Iroh was already sitting at his side and changing the cloth on Zuko's forehead. Since Ming didn't want to disturb them and the General hasn't notice him yet, he decided to return them later.

* * *

 

Zuko woke up to find his Uncle sitting by his side snoring a little louder than he would have appreciated. Remembering back to the last night, he couldn't recall at what point did his Uncle came into the cabin. He had to be really out of it. His head was still spinning and his shoulder stinging strongly, but it was more endurable in comparison with the previous day, when the pain didn't even allow him to think straight. Truth to be told, he didn't even remember properly how he got back to the ship – his memory was like covered in fog.

On the other hand, he remembered really well his encounter with Ming. He couldn't help but curse himself for such a stupid mistake. It was probably the stupidest thing ever since he walked into that war meeting.

The mission itself seemed to be cursed as the problems started to pile up higher and higher. The realization was wearing on him as he laid on his futon. The weak light of a cloudy day was barely lighting the room and his Uncle's head kept bobbing every few seconds. He felt a bit guilty at making him worry so much that he spent the whole night awake by his side. Although, the fever was gone, the exhaustion got the better of him at the moment – not having the energy to wake up, but allowing him to assess the situation he was in at the moment.

The arrival at the island of You Feng seemed now to be an unfortunate as well as blessed decision. Zuko felt like being on a crossroad- all the new information meant finally a step forward after two years of sailing in circles. And of course, there was the biggest question, mark on his shoulder. Yesterday, he would agree into anything that would help him in finding the Avatar. But now, he started to realize that he might have made a wrong step. The pain he felt like when he was leaving the healers house, now knowing it was surrounded by invisible spirits, was so strong and deep- it felt like it hurt somewhere in his very soul. Not even Mimasu herself knew what all the consequences of the burn might be and it did scare him a bit. He could just hope that he was not going to walk into such spirit-infested area as Mimasuʼs front yard anytime soon.

The constant stinging and itching of the burn also reminded him that he didn't put enough distance between himself and the spirit party around Mimasu's house. (He did not let himself to think that it would hurt like this all the time.) And that was going to change as he intended to set out from the town today.

Zuko looked on his sleeping Uncle and almost felt bad about having to wake him up. He looked exhausted, even few years older than he last observed him from this close distance. His hair seemed grayer, lines deeper – was it because of him, because he pulled him away from the comfort of the Fire Nation Capital? His Uncle must have felt responsible for allowing him to participate in the war meeting. It was probably the reason that led him to join him on this desperate journey. But in truth, Zuko knew that he was the only responsible one. That's why he decided to see through the mission and lead his Uncle as well as the crew back home.

Actually, what Ming had told him yesterday made him realize that the crew was probably having similar feelings as him. That made him feel even more responsible for the success of the mission. And Zhao will not stand in his way.

"Uncle…" His Uncle woke up in the instant he spoke, looking a bit confused, but when he noticed his nephew in front of him, relief quickly replaced confusion.

"You're up, Zuko. How do you feel? How is your fever?" He put his hand on Zukoʼs forehead to check his temperature.

"I'm fine, Uncle. No fever."

Uncle Iroh sighed with relief and took his hand away. Zuko sat up to prove that he is feeling better and also for his Uncle to take seriously what he was about to say.

"We are shipping out today and I need you to make the arrangements," Zuko could see the disappointment on his Uncles face as he processed the information.

"Why so suddenly? We didn't even finish the work on the new market and you need recovering. Besides, that little girl was really enjoying your company…"

"I'll be recovering on the way from here and the market is none of our business!"

"But…"

"Uncle, if you could do this for me," he said with a very serious voice, which even surprised his Uncle.

"Fine, Prince Zuko. I'll make the arrangements. But I'll also send Ming with breakfast and later I'll bring some of my medicinal tea."

"Thank you."

"Zuko, is something wrong?"  _Why did his Uncle always catch upon things?_

"No, it's nothing, just… Uncle, I promise I'll bring us back…back home." At that his Uncle looked into his eyes with a very serious expression.

"Zuko, home is not necessarily defined by the place you've grown up, but by the people who are awaiting your return. A place to return to can be created anywhere in the world, but if there is nobody there to welcome you back, then it can hardly be called a home." His Uncle smiled with a sad smile and patted him on the head before leaving.

Zuko was left alone, totally stunned by his Uncles response. Did he just remind his Uncle of his dead family? How stupid is he? There was no longer a wife and a son waiting him. He didn't want to return to the Fire Nation for years after Lu Tenʼs death in the first place. And on top of that, his Uncle certainly didn't clung to the court life anymore as the last two years taught him. Good food and his beloved tea were the only necessities in his Uncleʼs life.

But then again who was waiting for him?

Zuko rather abandoned these thoughts and focused on washing himself and changing clothes drenched with sweat, as they both required more effort than normally. His legs still felt wobbly and his head was still swimming a bit when he was trying to walk.

Not long after his Uncle departed, there was a knock on the door and Ming made his way in. Zuko once again had to deal with feeling embarrassed, as the last night's scene played back in his mind. He tried to recall his trail of thought from yesterday to remember what was the reason that actually made him sneak into the medic's cabin and threaten him with the swords, but he really had no idea. There was no real proof which would point to Ming being Zhao's spy. It could be only his paranoia.

"Sir, you left these in the infirmary." The medic passed the swords back to him casually like Zuko had pointed them at his throat. Zuko took them without a word and just dropped them at the futon to get them out of the way.

"And I brought clean bandages." Zuko again just nodded. He really had hard time finding words.

"The fever is gone as I see. It was probably just exhaustion. The last days were probably really stressing for you, I'd imagine."

The medic was clearly enjoying himself and Zuko knew it was because he had the upper hand now, expecting to get answers out of him. But he was already put up with telling Ming at least the minimum to explain the yesterday's situation- but no more than that. And he was certainly not going to talk about his visit to Mimasu.

Zuko sat down to allow the medic to change the bandages on his arm and shoulder. While doing it, Ming stayed quiet clearly giving Zuko space to start explaining.

"Ehm-ehm…yesterday… what I did… I mean… it was really unnecessary. I don't know why… what I was doing… it was stupid."

"It would be stupid if I really were the spy. With the condition you were in last night, you wouldn't be able to threaten a six-year-old child." Zuko felt heat rising to his cheeks and was glad that the medic was behind his back.

"So, this whole spy idea - care to explain?" The medic seemed really pleased with finally being able to quench information out of him.

"Three days ago, just before the fire incident, I was out… I went to Zhao's ship for information. I was able to get into his office and go through his correspondence and maps. One of those maps was containing a detailed track of our road so far. And I mean really detailed." Zuko thought about his father's letter. "And beside that, I found a letter, with a command for Zhao personally, to keep an eye on our mission and stop me if the Avatar was to appear." He could not say out loud that it was on his Father's command.

"So your conclusion was that there has to be a spy reporting to Zhao about our movement. But why me? Why did you think of me?" The medic's voice betrayed a bit of hurt on its edge. Zuko understood – he questioned the man's honor without knowing any of his background.

"I really don't know. I was…. It's just – you know more than the rest of the crew. If you were the spy then Zhao would know everything you do…that would be … inconvenient. Yesterday, I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Of course, you weren't. You had high fever."

That reasoning didn't stop Zuko from cursing himself for stupidity.

"I'm sorry for questioning your honor," he had to say it, although Ming could still play an act have hidden motives for betraying him, but for some reason he wanted to believe that the man spoke the truth last night and if that was the case - an apology was in place.

“It's okay." Ming patted him on his uninjured shoulder to signal that he's finished. "There is nothing that could Zhao possibly offer me to become his informant. We are all aboard one ship, and not just literally. If there is a spy, then he has to have very specific reasons for doing so. I can promise you that I’ll be on my watch. And of course, I won't be mentioning any of this to the others."

Zuko nodded in gratitude and Ming in the found agreement. He gathered the old bandages and headed for the door.

"I'll bring some food. Today you should stay in to recover." He didn't wait for an answer and left the room.

Zuko felt like a stone fell from his heart. The relief gave him new energy to be finally able to walk around without shaking. Or was it the paranoia and guilt what made him feel sick at the first place?

* * *

 

It has been only four days, but Zuko could already feel the difference. They were heading northeast to the closest Fire Nation colony of Leng Wan. The sun was now up for at least six hours a day, although it was only two days before the winter solstice.

Zuko was finally able to stroll the deck fully recovered after the You Feng incident. The pain in the burn from Mimasuʼs candle disappeared right after they departed from the town and the last signs of the concussion and the fever wear off yesterday, after Ming's and his Uncle's annoying daily care.

Being a sunny day, most of the firebenders were out as well, enjoying the presence of their element. Among the people on the deck, Zuko noticed Lieutenant Jee giving orders to one of the engine workers. He walked over to them.

"Lieutenant."

"Commander, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. How much longer till we arrive to Leng Wan?"

Jee gave him his binoculars and pointed at the horizon.

"Just a few hours."

And really, Zuko looked where the man pointed and a mountain range was already visible.

Jee was ready to walk off, as he probably didn't expect a longer conversation, but Zuko felt a need to say something to the former captain, now that he learnt something of his past from Ming.

"Lieutenant, I know that the search for the Avatar is taking longer than expected, but I will make it as short as possible, so that all of us can return…"

"Sir, I respect your efforts, but maybe you and all of us should just put up with the fact that we are exiled from our country for good."

Zuko was dumbstruck, by the the unexpected retort.

Jee probably knew he crossed the line he shouldn't have and hurried away. Zuko already crushed Jeeʼs binoculars in his hands and next he threw them over the railing. The response wasn't anything he expected and he wasn't even finished speaking.

 _He will never give up_! So what if the crew hated him for that? So what if the mission is harder than expected? So what if the Avatar doesn't even exist? He will find a way back home, even if the others won't follow. Even if there is nobody waiting for him. He has to show his Father that he is worthy of his honor and worthy of the right to the throne.

The familiar heat in his chest was rising again. He looked around to see that there was already no one on the deck with him he could ask for a relieving spar, so he just went through some of the katas alone producing larger flames than usually. That eased his anger a little bit, only until his Uncle showed up.

"You're doing it again, Prince Zuko. Using power of your muscles instead of focusing on breathing. You should concentrate more…" Zuko didn't get to hear the end of the sentence as he stormed off in fury to his cabin, no matter how confining it may feel at the moment. After pacing around his room, he decided for meditation to be the best way to calm down right now and to not ruin the small cabin.

To calm down turned out to take as long as arriving to Leng Wan. Zuko was again disappointed in his temper that it took so long. But he couldn't help himself but feel angry about his efforts not being appreciated by anyone. Why did he have to be alone in this?

He was about to get angry again, when his Uncle came into his cabin.

"What is it, Uncle?"

"Nephew, we arrived at Leng Wan, but we were advised to not leave this ship. The area is said to be surrounded by Earth Kingdom militia. But the market is also closed, so we need to stay until morning."

"Well wait through the night and get the necessities first thing in the morning."

"Very well. I'll make the arrangements. Maybe we could go through some katas together tomorrow." Zuko didn't respond and waited for his Uncle to leave already. The old man didn't pry anymore and left the room, clearly reading his nephew's unsocial mood.

The news that his Uncle brought, however, did caught his attention. He has already decided to scout every place they are going to visit to try out the burn mark. The last days it went even withouta single itch, what made him question the words of the healer. The burned place even looked the same as the first day. The burn wasn't healing at all, what also caught the attention of the ship's medic. It wasn't healing, but it also did not get infected. The burn wasn't even vulnerable on touch, like his previous burns or the burn on the arm he received from Zhao's man, which was already healed up by now. The weird mark felt like normal skin. In You Feng, it did hurt, but it could as well be because he just received it. He had to put the mark to test.

And going out on every chance he got was the only option and now that the town was probably hiding some Earth Kingdom resistance members, he was all the more curious to get out, if only for some information gathering.

He put on his usual dark clothes, the blue mask and swung his dao off the wall. It felt good to put the outfit on again, even if the last time he wore it, the scounting didn't go the way he imagined. Nevertheless, doing something other than watching the walls of his cabin would definitely help to clear his mind.

Sneaking off the ship was as easy as usually, the only thing he had to watch out for were the two men on guard duty and he was off in the night.

The port was smaller than the one in You Feng and from the very first look, Zuko could tell that also much poorer.

He sneaked in among the shabby looking houses and started to look for a place where the night life took place. As he continued further into the town, it looked more and more deserted. It still wasn't so late in the night, but the bigger the distance between him and the port, less and less lights were on in the houses. The empty houses looked a little creepy.

Zuko almost gave up on hiding in the shadows. There was almost total dark, if it wasn't for the crescent moon and the stars. He gathered courage to walk into one of the houses and truly, the place looked abandoned for what could be months. He tried also some of the others houses on the street with the same results. Did the Earth Kingdom militia pose so much threat that the people were forced to leave?

He was almost on the other side of the small town and ready to go back to the ship disappointed, when he finally heard voices. With one hand on the dao, he slowly approached the direction, which they came from.

From behind the corner of the last, almost ruined shack, he noticed a group of about ten people smuggling something into the woods. Two of them were holding torches, so Zuko could see their faces. And it was one of the two men's faces, which caught his attention. His face and his clothes were clearly Water Tribe.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry for this linking chapter, I hope doesn't feel too heavy-handed :(  
> Next time, Ill return with more action, promise


	7. The Moon Protects Her Allies

There was no doubt – the darker skin tone, the blue clothing - the man was of Water Tribe origin. His bearing and the machete on his side told Zuko that he was most probably a Water Tribe warrior. He was surrounded by men in dark brown or green clothes, some of them also wielding weapons of various kinds. Zuko guessed them to be part of the Earth Kingdom rebels. All of them were carrying large backpacks, one of the men even led an emu donkey, heavily loaded, probably with supplies.

So the Earth Kingdom really was supplying the Water Tribe bandits, just as one of Zhao's navy communication letters had suspected. The small fleet of the Water Tribe was famous for making surprise attacks on Fire Nation ships all around the South Seas. Zuko's ship has been lucky enough to not encounter them. The stories of the horribly smelling naval mines were almost notorious in the Fire Nation navy, and especially the area around the outpost on Whaletail Island, which was the main control center of the Fire Nation over the southern Air Nomad territory, was heavily mined. It went to the point that Zuko frequently heard the drunk sailors or soldiers starting to call the Whaletail Island the Stink Island. Zuko realized he should not be surprised to stumble on the Tribes men here - the Whaletail Island wasn't that far away.

The group was already disappearing into the woods, so Zuko had to decide whether to follow them or not. It took only a second that Zuko judged it would be a waste to let go of such a rare source of information. This was a one-time occasion. The Southern Water Tribe was no longer important enough for the Fire Nation and they lost their attention completely several years ago. Zuko wasn’t sure why. Their isolation and inconspicuousness provided with good opportunity for hiding information… _or even the Avatar_. Realizing this, Zuko put the South Pole on the list of places to visit in the future. But for now, he had to hurry to not lose the suspicious group from his sight.

The group was moving through the forest quickly, even without proper lights what indicated, that they knew the forest around the town well enough to be confident in the dark. Zuko, however, had to keep a distance so that they wouldn't hear him, but he also couldn’t let them too far ahead to not lose them.

The trailing was difficult in the forest environment. It happened more times that he nearly tripped over the tree roots because he couldn't see them in the dark. One time he almost cursed, but he managed to control himself. After that, he tried to push out all other thoughts, and only focus on the lights ahead him. He also attempted to listen, but the group stayed mostly quiet. At least that Zuko appreciated.

After a longer time of tracking, Zuko was starting to get annoyed. How long is it going to take to arrive to the destination? When he started to get worried how long it would take also to return and for his crew to not notice his absence, the man in front of the group signaled for halt. Zuko hid behind a tree waiting for what is to come.

The Water Tribe man went ahead, probably to signal or report their arrival. Before Zuko could decide if he should also wait or go after the man, the group started to move as well.

When the trees became sparser allowing to see more than just a two meters ahead, Zuko realized that he was led to a small bay, the beach being only few meters away. He had to look for a new hiding place to be able to watch the two groups of men meeting on the rocky beach.

He went around them in a safe distance and found a rock big enough to hide him. However, the distance was too big to hear any bit of the conversation the men were heatedly engaging in.

Zuko looked around the rocky beach, but there wasn't a big enough boulder to hide him closer to the group. He had to curse the men for choosing such an unreachable place. He would not be able to sneak closer without them noticing, especially not in the strong moonlight that bathed the bay in light.

But only a little later did Zuko realize that the unusually strong light also hid something what he didn't notice at the first glance. In the shade of the huge cliffs, there was the whole fleet of the Water Tribe sailing ships. Zuko couldn't understand how he could not notice about ten ships anchored in the small bay. Did the moonlight play tricks on him? The moon spirit really seemed to be on the side of the Water Tribe.

The thoughts about spirits pushed out more important concerns. Zuko observed the ships. They were hidden in dark and looked lifeless. The group on the beach looked quite large, what meant that most of the men from the ships were on land. For Zuko, this opened a good chance of repeating the action from over a week ago. Even if this time, he would have to get wet.

Moving in the shadows of the trees, he approached a darker place of the beach and quickly and soundlessly dived into the cruelly cold water. He raised his own body temperature to not get into a shock and proceed to swim in the direction of the ships without disturbing the water too much, only emerging his head to make quick inhales. But with limited oxygen, his bending was also limited. Therefore the water seemed to be cooler and cooler by the time.

His last strokes were painful and sloppy. He made it to the first ship and he had to make a break to calm his breathing. At least the shade of the cliff was dark enough that it would be impossible to notice him. But he could not stay too long. The water was so cold that it felt like it was biting into his skin, the clothes were pulling him down and he would not risk to use the Dragon Breath - that would compromise him in an instant.

He swam again, still soundlessly, looking for the command ship in the small fleet. All of the ships looked the same in size and shape, until he noticed that one of them had a bigger flag attached to its mast with what looked like it could have the Water Tribe insignia on it, but because of the calm, he could not be sure. Still, this was his only lead on the command ship, so he chose to climb it.

Before he would climb the railing, he checked the deck. It was empty, just as he expected. To not leave any tracks behind, Zuko steamed the water out of his clothes and only then climbed on board. Even if there wasn't anybody on the deck, he quickly hid behind some barrels that were left there. Besides the barrels, there were only some big ball thingies, for which he couldn't guess their purpose. There was no door, since the sailing ships didn't have any floors above the decks as the Fire Nation usually had, so he assumed he must look for a trap door of sorts.

Sneaking out of his hiding place, he looked for a handle and there it was, in the back part of the ship. The stairs led into a darkness and when he closed the door above him, it was so dark that he had to stop and think, if he should light a fire or not. In the end, he decided not to use his bending. He promised himself earlier that in this outfit he would only use it as a last resort. Instead, he walked down, really slowly, and as an assurance he put one of his hands on the sword on his back.

Moving slower than he would like, he could only extend his hand as a blind man and hope to walk into a door. After few more steps, his hand bumped into a wooden plank. He started to search for a handle in hope that he found a door. His fingers did find their target and he slowly opened the door. Zuko walked into the room with a hand on one of his dao, but soon he could lower his guard.

The room was lit with a single lantern exposing it as the common sleeping cabin of the Water Tribe men. There were empty sleeping nets and sleeping beds made of furs of some polar animals all around the room. What caught Zuko's eye was a heavy looking fur hung on one side of the room. Zuko pushed it aside and a small make-shift office was revealed. The big pile of papers made Zuko internally exult.

Even if there wasn’t any information on the Avatar, he could find some useful piece of information on the Water Tribe militia, maybe even on the Earth Kingdom military. Maybe, it could win him some favors in his Father’s eyes.

He had to take the lantern from its post to look into the papers. The first piece of paper that caught his eye was that of a sketch of something circular. After closer examination, he realized it was a design sketch for the ball things on the deck. The title on the sketch said "Stink'n Sink". Zuko couldn't help but wonder about the inventors sense of humor. But he had to admit, the title did sell the purpose of the Water Tribe naval mines. Was the smell really that bad? The description did say skunk fish. Zuko could no longer wonder about his lieutenant's decision for which he was degraded. He made sure to remember that upon leaving, he won't go near those mines.

Then he noticed another paper. It had the Earth Kingdom insignia on its top, what could only mean official communication. And indeed, it was a communication directly from Ba Sing Se generals. Zuko's heart nearly jumped out from its place. The letter asked the Water Tribe chief-in-command to set out a camp in the Eastern Sea, to help to guard the city. So the fleet was probably loading the last supplies before relocating to the Chameleon Bay. The task now would be to find a way to use this piece of information.

Zuko moved closer to the table and kicked into some rumpled pieces of paper. He looked down. There were several of them lying around his feet as if someone couldn't find the right words for a letter and threw them around in frustration. Zuko took the one closest to him.

_Dear Katara and Sokka,_

_I hope you are all well and that you don't trouble your Gran Gran too much with your bickering. Your Father is…_

He didn't get any further as a blade suddenly settled on his neck.

"That is private," a male voice came from close behind.

How could he not notice? Zuko immediately dropped the letter on the floor and tried to reach for his sword.

"Uh-uh," the blade on his neck dangerously dig into his skin, so he stopped his attempt to draw at least one of the double blades.

"I will put those away first, with your hands where I can see them."

Zuko put his hands in the air, while gnashing his teeth in frustration. He felt how the swords on his back were pulled out of their sheets one by one and where thrown across the room, somewhere into the dark.

"Now move! To the right!" the man commanded and loosened the pressure of the blade on his neck. Zuko was still too shocked to not obey the instruction and moved as he was told. The man led him towards a door on the right wall he hadn't noticed before. He could only guess that he wanted to lock him in there and wait until the others come back, so that they could question him. And that would be the better option.

Zuko purposely moved slowly. He prepared himself to somehow get out of the man's grip before it would be too late. He already started to consider firebending, when in the quiet of the room, he heard the man's footsteps. They were uneven, as if he was limping. And Zuko took the chance.

He kicked backwards, where he guessed the man's leg was and truly – the Water Tribe man cursed out loud and staggered. Zuko pushed the blade away from his neck and ran for the entrance door and up the stairs. But just as he would make the last steps onto the moonlit deck, he felt a blow to his head. The last thing he saw before passing out was the tall man that he followed through the forest with a strange curved weapon in his hand.

* * *

 

A dull ache in his head was the first thing he sensed when his consciousness was slowly coming back. Only after a few instants, the last memory came back to him. With a shock he tried to get up, only to find out that his arms and legs are bound. And what was even worse, he was bound by metal cuffs, both on his arms and legs. How did they realize that he is a firebender? What else did they know? His mask was missing, as well as his dao blades.

After a few moments of panicking, he finally calmed down to assess the situation he was in. Looking around, he could guess that he was in a storage room. It very well could be the room, which the man from earlier tried to lead him in. For the time being, he was alone with only a small candle giving him a dim light.

The worst realization just came, when he felt the floor slightly tilting from side to side. The ship was out of the quiet bay and on the sea. Why did they even take him? They could just kill him on the spot? Zuko really started to worry that they knew of his identity.

How much time did pass by while he was out? Was it still night? Will his Uncle realize that he's gone? Will he come look for him? Zuko hasn't felt so helpless in a very long time, if not ever. He just got caught by Water Tribe savages. If someone would come to know that the Fire Nation prince was caught by some peasant warriors, then he would never be allowed to get back home. The shame he would bring on the royal family would be unbearable. He did not allow himself to imagine his sister's scornful expression or the disgust that would most likely appear on his father's.  _No! He must get out of this situation before anyone comes to know._

But how?

They were most likely headed to the east, probably Ba Sing Se and if they knew who he was (what Zuko really hoped they did not), they could be heading straight to the Earth King. What would they do with him? They couldn't possibly use him as a bargaining chip. If his Father would come to know that his son was foolish enough to get caught so easily, then it would be the Fire Lord himself, who would order to get rid of him. They could only threw him into a dungeon and let him rot. With such a disgrace, he could never return home, not even if he would be allowed.

Zuko gathered his strength to pull himself up into a sitting position and examined the cabin. However, the room was only filled with barrels and furs, with nothing that would help him out of this position. Even, if he would be able to get out of the cuffs and knock-out the men on the ship, he was still trapped in the middle of the sea. There was simply no way out in the moment. He could only wait for an opportunity to open up.

Feeling more and more miserable by every passing moment, he realized that the situation could get even worse, when his stomach started to growl and on top of everything, the burn mark on his shoulder started to itch and sting as well. Where they after all near shore? Where there spirits nearby? Does the burn really work?

Just when his stomach growled especially loudly and Zuko even considered calling out for those Water Tribe peasants to bring at least some food, the door finally opened.

Three men walked inside the cabin, locking the door behind them. One of the three was the tall man who knocked him out with the strange curved weapon attached to his hip. The other had his leg bandaged, so it must have been the one that caught him while reading the letter. The third man he hasn't met yet.

The expressions on their faces were completely unreadable for Zuko and he attempted for the same. He determined himself that they are not going to get anything out of him. However, the small space, the three hostile looking strangers and the fact that he couldn't move made Zuko feel extremely uncomfortable. He tried to shift and straighten up as well as he could, but gave up when he realized that his attempts must look quite pitiful at best.

After a moment of silence, the man with the injured leg and most beads in his hair took out his blue mask and threw it in front of him.

"So, all of us were wondering, since when does the Fire Nation employ boys for spying on enemies? Do they think we would take pity on you?" asked the beaded hair man with a hint of anger in his voice.

"I am not a boy," growled Zuko back, already breaking his promise to stay quiet, the irritation and the discomfort getting the better of him. Only a second later he realized that the men don't know who he is after all.

"Maybe not, but you're neither a man. But what made us even more curious and were hoping that you could tell us… why is it that a firebender uses swords instead of his bending? Especially against non-benders like us? You could have been of the ship right now, safely back to report to your commander."

Zuko was speechless. He put so much effort in not using his bending. He did not use it in front of anybody when he wore his mask. "How…How did you know…"

"How did we know you're a firebender? That is here, thanks to Batoʼs observation skills." He pointed to the tall man.

"How did you get on the ship without a boat or a float? The only way was to swim. But the water, especially in this time of the year, is barely above the freezing level. Even if you would be that hardy, your clothes were completely dry just minutes coming out of the water."

_So he must have been in the room the whole time_ , thought Zuko. He would never think that far as the tall man. It made him angry at himself for not being smart enough. Azula would surely think of it. But on the other hand, she would never lower herself to a spying mission. She would just barge in and take what she wants. Maybe he should start learning from her.

"So back to the question. Why were you hiding your bending, to the point of being caught?"

This time Zuko stayed quiet.

"And what's up with the nice mask?"

Only those wear masks who need to hide their faces," spoke the third man. "And yours is quite recognizable."

Zuko gritted his teeth. These men were too smart. They were connecting together all the right points. The silence was getting longer and longer.

"I get it. You don't want to talk. I wouldn't expect anything different. But we did not even come to the important questions. Even though we figured out much on our own. You came here alone. We've searched the ships and set out as quickly as we can, so that no one would learn our location, and so that you do not run sooner than we would want to. You trailed Bato most probably from Leng Wan, the nearest town."

"From the local men, I heard that a small Fire Nation ship stopped in the town," continued the tall man. "And they don't get those here very often in the recent times."

Zukoʼs heart started to beat quickly and the burn mark pulsed in the same rythm.

"Are you working for someone from that ship?" the third man asked straightly. Zuko wanted to stay silent again, but it felt like his silence answered the question in itself. It was getting really hard not to say something, but he knew he wasn't a good liar.

"Why are you here? Why is the Fire Nation interested in the Southern Water Tribe?" asked the beaded-hair man with all seriousness in his voice. "You already took everything away from us! I know you consider us to be nothing more than just mere pirates, so why are you still spying on us?!" The man was getting angrier and made a few steps towards Zuko.

He squatted down to look Zuko straight in the eyes. "Tell me, do you work for the Southern Raiders?" The man's voice was low and held an unspoken threat. Zuko moved back unwillingly, just to find a wooden wall to lean on.

"I do not. I would never work under those pirates."

Zuko recognized that the man holds some kind of grudge against the Southern Raiders and it would be probably dangerous for him, if the man thought that he's working for them. So he made an effort to assure him that he really does not work for them. In all of Fire Nation Navy, the Southern Raiders were considered only something above common pirates. Their reputation was infamous for brutality and dishonor. Zuko would never voluntarily work with them, and if he would have to, then only with great dislike.

The man in front of him was judging his answer for a moment.

"Hakoda, sooner or later, we'll know the answer. The falcon pigeon I sent back to the Earth Kingdom militia should soon return with the answer. Their men will find out who is in the port of Leng Wan in no time," said the man with the strange curved weapon.

Zuko had to gulp dryly. They were going to find out.

The men were on their leave, when Zuko stopped them: "Wait! What are you going to do with me?"

Their leader turned back, again with an unreadable expression.

"We don't hold prisoners on our ships. That is what the Earth Kingdom officials are here for." With that he left the room along with the other two.

Zukoʼs heart sank lower if it was even possible. The answer they gave him told him that they were heading to the closest free Earth Kingdom city that could take him into custody. What was even worse, they would most likely get to know his identity before that would happen. He did not dare to guess what would happen to him, if he would to fall into the hands of Earth Kingdom officials, who would knew that he's the banished prince of the Fire Nation.

It meant that he would have to come up with an idea how to get out of this situation. As soon as they will approach the shore, he would have to get off the ship, otherwise there will be bad consequences.

Zuko ignored his growling stomach and dry throat to try to come up with a plan, or look around the room, if there was anything that would help him. Only if the pain in his shoulder wouldn't distract him. And the stupid grin on the mask, which was thrown in front of him, looked like it was mocking him.

* * *

 

"The reply is taking longer than I thought," Bato was searching for any sign of the falcon pigeon, but without a result.

The sun was going down already and it only hardly passed four in the afternoon. But it was the day of the Winter Solstice after all. Hakoda and his men were, of course, used to even less light during the day, so it did not bother them that much.

One thing, that did bothered Hakoda, was the teenager on the second deck, who he couldn't figure out how to deal with him. The other thing were the gathering clouds on the horizon.

"Bato, let the falcon pigeon be. I think we should prepare for a storm."

Bato looked the other way. "The trouble likes to come in double."

"Kalluq, give signal to the rest of the ships! The others, prepare the ship for a storm!" Hakoda gave the orders to the crew and they followed the command immediately.

"Hakoda, the storm will make us dance. You know, the boy…"

"I know, we'll have to unbind him."

"I was going to say that we should tie him to the mast, but if you say so," Bato was smiling, so he knew he only meant it as a joke, but it actually made him feel worse.

The guilt was already overwhelming when he had to handcuff down an unconscious teenager who was of around the age of his own son. And this teenager was already a professional spy, not speaking of the scar on his face. In contrast with his earlier words, he did take pity on the boy. The war was ruining lives on both sides of the front. But as Bato had warned him, the boy was a firebender  _and_ a spy on his ship, looking through his mail - the drafts of the letter he wanted to send to his children.

The first thing that came to his mind when he caught the strange man with a strange mask looking through his private letters, was that maybe the Fire Nation was still looking for waterbenders in the South. For what other reason would the Fire Nation send out a spy to some Water Tribe "pirates"?

He knew it was the protectiveness over his children that made him act so harshly against the boy before. Hakoda didn't dare to think what it would mean, if the Fire Nation would get to know of his daughter. Not one of his men did mention her water-bending abilities ever since they left home- he specifically asked them not to. And he himself made sure not to mention in any letter, not even the drafts the boy was looking through. Still he couldn't help but to be paranoid, when he saw the private letters (he never got to send) in the hands of a weird looking stranger.

Now, he was glad that the injured leg was of some use and made him stay on the ship the last night and to eventually catch the spy personally. Well, almost personally.

"…shouldn't have gone this way. The men from the militia warned us. The restless spirits are angry at the trespassers of this passage, especially during the solstice. The storm is surely…"

"What did they warn you about Siku?"

The two men folding the sail got stumped when they realized that the chief is listening. "It's just… we were warned about this passage north of Kyoshi… many storms seem to occur in these waters. They said that…"

"It was just a superstitious blabbering, Hakoda," intervened Bato.

"The spirits are not something to be taken lightly, especially the angry and restless," opposed Siku.

"So what did they exactly said? The men from the militia?" Hakoda wanted to get to the end of it.

Siku put down the sail and with a slight embarrassment looked on his chief. "Sir, they said, that this passage is not to be crossed, especially during the solstice periods. The waters here are said to be inhabited by restless spirits and when disturbed by the living, they tend to show their anger. Usually in a form of a thunderstorm. They said that in the last years, nobody was brave enough to sail through the passage because of the powerful storms."

"That's it?" Hakoda couldn't believe that this spirit talk got the men dismayed. "Tell me... anybody," Hakoda looked around on the rest of the listening men present on the deck, "is this the first storm we are facing?"

"No," came the quiet or uttered answer from all around.

"That's right! Storm is a storm and we cannot hide from it in the middle of the sea, whether it be the angry spirits who sent it or Tui and La themselves! We are expected in the Eastern Sea and we are already falling behind. We will not change course and we cannot allow ourselves to be surprised by some storm. Now get back to work!"

All the men around resumed their work in a second. Bato exchanged with him an amused look, but in reality he did not feel amusement. The men were getting discouraged in the worst time. He couldn't allow some spirit talk to get into his men's heads.

He was about to join the crew in the preparations, when Arrluk who was charged with looking after their prisoner ran up from the second deck.

"Sir, the spy – something… something is wrong with him!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In comparison with the last chapter, I like this one much better. Hope you do too :)


	8. Calling from Beneath

Hakoda rushed after Arrluk. He could not believe the bad luck they were having.

"What happened?" Hakoda asked his subordinate.

"I was going to give him some food and water, as you ordered, but I found him on the edge of passing out. But that's not everything. He seems… I don't know… something is just wrong with him."

Hakoda couldn't imagine what was going on. The boy seemed fine just an hour ago. Maybe Hakoda did scare him a bit, but there wasn't anything that might have indicated that the boy was sick or had some other problem.

They arrived to the storage room. The youngest member of their crew, Iluq, was standing by the shaking spy on the floor, clearly not knowing what to do. Hakoda sidled to the boy. His eyes looked glassy and unfocused and he was shivering profoundly. He didn't even seem to register the men in the room.

"Give me the water!" he ordered Iluq. He slapped the boy across the face as gently as possible, but with enough force to get his attention. It took a real effort for the boy to focus. Hakoda also noticed that he was burning up, with small sweat drops forming on his forehead. Everything seemed to indicate that their prisoner had a seriously high fever.

"Try to drink this." He put the pouch of water to the boy's lips, but when he tried to swallow he only choked it up.

"It looks like he has a high fever and he can't drink like this. We will have to unbind him." Hakoda couldn't understand how it was possible. It did not make sense. It was unreal to develop such a bad condition in such a short time.

"What if he's faking it? He is a firebender." Hakoda caught a glimpse of despise in the young man's voice, but he also had to consider this possibility. The boy didn't deny during the interrogation that he's able to manipulate his body temperature. But somehow his gut feeling was telling him, that the boy wasn't such a good actor. He looked really out of it, he was probably even hallucinating, as he kept on mumbling something under his breath.

Hakoda tried to get the boys attention again. "Listen, boy. We will lift you up, so don't get startled." The young benders golden eyes remained unfocused, gazing into the nothing.

Hakoda couldn't do much more, so he just grabbed the boy by his shoulder to pull him up. But in the moment he pulled, the boy yowled in such a painful way that he had to let go of him.  _That certainly wasn't faked_.

"Get the keys and unshackle him."

"But…"

"Now!"

The boy at Hakodaʼs feet was taking in short sharp inhales, shaking even more than before. Arrluk got back with keys and handed them to Hakoda. He still didn't look convinced. He even put his hands on the machete at his side. But Hakoda didn't mind them and undid the cuffs on the boy's legs as well as his arms.

In the moment he was free of bindings, the boy curled up and his hand shot up to clench his right shoulder.

"Did something happen to his shoulder?"

"Not that I know of. He was fine when we left, you saw it too. But when I was bringing him food, he laid on the floor looking like this. He was even whispering something for himself. It looked like he went crazy." Arrluk seemed to be honest, but he still didn't dropped his hand from his weapon.

Hakoda couldn't blame him for being confused. He himself felt totally helpless. But he had to act somehow and the instinct, probably parental, did tell him that the boy was suffering and they have to help him as well as they can. But there wasn't a medic on the ship and if they would not be able to help…Hakoda realized that they really have to hurry to a port.

He ordered the two men to take the boy out, into the sleeping cabin. He almost didn't struggle at all, just kept clutching his shoulder. Hakoda decided that he has to take a look on it. The boy must have been injured, that could be the only explanation.

When the teenager was safely put on a mattress, Hakoda tried to make him drink once more.

"Boy, what's your name?" he asked, now with a gentler voice. But he just kept shaking his head. "You don't have to worry, I surely haven't heard it before and I won't mention it to anybody else."

But the boy still did not comply. "Have it your way, I'll keep calling you boy then." Even though, the teenager was barely conscious, Hakoda noticed a hint of annoyance on his face. Hakoda was glad that he was still responsive.

"You have to drink, even if just a bit." The boy did just the opposite – he pushed the offered pouch away with a shaky hand.

"Then I'll take a look on your shoulder. You were injured there, weren't you?" At that the boy have livened up almost completely.

"No! Don't touch me! It's nothing!" The boy sat up and move back from the man, protectively turning the injured shoulder away from them.

It clearly was something, if it made him come back from an almost unconscious state.

"Look, we are three against the sick you, if we want to take a look on it, then we will." Hakoda didn't want to use threats, but the boy wasn't momentarily in his clear mind and he was ready to use force, if it would help the boy.

There wasn't time to waste. He already sensed the increasing waves of the approaching storm. And then he or anybody won't be able to dedicate any time to their prisoner.

The boy hesitated for a moment, but then complied. "It is really nothing. Just a small, healing burn," he said lifting up his shirt to uncover a small bandage on his right shoulder. He tear it down himself before Hakoda could lift his arm.

The burn really was small, but something was off. On a closer look, it did not look like it was healing. Just about the opposite. It was bright red, like he received it just few seconds ago. Even the skin around was red, like if the fever was spreading from this place.

Hakoda could only guess what's wrong. "Maybe, it got infected."

"No, it did not." The boy pulled back down the shirt, keeping the wound out of the men's sight.

"But we should treat it." The boy just kept shaking his head.

"Leave me alone…leave me alone…leave me alone…" he kept repeating it in a silent mantra after he curled up in a ball. There was something really off with the boy's behavior again. It seemed like he wasn't even addressing them.

But he had no time to think about it further, as a strong wave hit the ship. And right after that, the men from the first deck ran down the stairs.

"The stormʼs here. And it doesn't look bright," informed Bato. Hakoda had to give up on the boy and attend to the critical situation outside.

"Iluq, you stay down here, don't let him out of your sight. The rest of you, it's time to ride the waves!"

Bato was right, the weather outside was worse than he imagined. The wind blew so strongly, that it threatened to tear up even the stronger sail they used for storms. Four men had to hold the ropes, what was normally one man's job. But they had to keep the boat from turning broadside to the waves, otherwise they could be easily rolled up by the huge waves that the wind produced.

It took probably less than a minute and all of the men on the deck were completely wet. It seemed like it was lightning all around them- up, around, even under them. Hakoda gave up on giving orders or otherwise speaking to his men, since the thunders and the wind completely overwhelmed his voice.

This storm was like no other they had encountered before. The waves were getting bigger and bigger, they were mounting over the small sailing ships like huge cliffs of water. All of them had to soon give up on the sail and ropes. They had to find the closest thing to cling to.

"Tui, have mercy!" Hakoda couldn't believe, when he saw the wave that just grew in front of them. It was at least twenty meters high. For a moment, he and all of the men had to stop in awe. The scene looked like as if a giant monster was trying to emerge from underwater, but the surface wouldn't let it. The wind brought shrieks and roars that made all hair on his body stand up. The pure horror that creeped into his mind made him unable to move, he could only keep clenching the railing for his dear life as all the other men did.

All the motion seemed like it slowed down, except when he noticed a movement in the corner of his eyes. The spy boy. The feverish look in his eyes even more prevalent. The paleness of his skin even more contrasting to the darkness surrounding them. And in his hand he was holding his scary looking mask.

"What are you doing here?! Get back down!" Actually, all of them needed to go back down, if they didn't want to be washed off the deck by this monstrous storm.

But the boy didn't hear him. His eyes were fixed on the approaching wave, his lips were moving and he kept walking towards the prow of the ship like if nothing was happening, like if he was just strolling down a brick road.

All of the men were now watching the boy, even more awestruck by the bizarreness of the scene than by the impending danger.

The deck started to tilt back and all of them had to brace themselves to not fall off the ship. Except the boy. He was standing on the prow without any support.

"Come back! You'll be pulled into the water!" Hakoda was getting desperate. The scene looked hopeless.

The boy then did the strangest thing. He put on the blue scarily-grinning mask and – "NO! Don't!"

The ship reached the peak of the monstrous wave and the boy leaped. He leaped off.

* * *

 

The world was black and moving. Moving all around him. There was no up or down, only darkness and gloom. It was above him as well as under him. But also anger – a big wave of anger and it was moving towards him and through him. And he could hear it… the loud roar ringing in his ears… he couldn't think.

Then the rage filled his body, seeped into his very soul. It wasn't him, but it was within him. He never felt such uncontrollable pure hating rage. It was like a current he couldn't dodge. It just consumed… consumed…consumed…consumed…there was only black rage…and then it left…slowly, giving him back his self. But not for long. Instead of rage, it was a nauseating feeling of loss… loss of something…. something very important… loss of self…

The silent weeping sounds were alternating with load howling. Maybe it was him who howled, but maybe not. He couldn't tell. The emotions were everywhere in him, around him… moving in the darkness… calling for him to follow… to join them in the never-ending suffering, in the eternal confusion.

The only thing reminding him of his self was the pain… the burning extending from his shoulder to his heart, his core. And burning in his chest or were his lungs should be, if he even still had them. He wasn't sure. He couldn't feel his limbs anymore. There was only the pain floating in confounds of currents. Currents of hate, sadness, rage, sorrow, helplessness, abandonment, complete surrender.

Slowly, but surely, he was losing his ability to think. He wanted to surrender as well. To surrender to the swirls of darkness. After all, there wasn't even much left of him.

But then, a sudden stream of strange sense of recognition shot through him from the darkness. There was coming something towards him from the black void. Something that recognized him or he recognized it. He couldn't tell.

_I see you,_ he heard the thought in his empty mind. And then he heard it from all around him.  _See you…I see you…you…I see ….you._

It noticed him. The whole presence of the black void concentrated on him. Every current was directed on him. There was everything… all at once, attacking from every direction. And the pain was unbearable. He was on the verge of losing himself to whirlpool of emotions. He couldn't handle it anymore.

That was when a sudden short light stroke through the darkness. There was nothing except the face he recognized floating on a hand's reach in front of his face. He recognized the blue and white of its features. He recognized it from before… from somewhere… he couldn't remember anymore. The light disappeared but the face was there. Still grinning.

And through all the excruciating gloom, he felt a sudden sense of hope. It was the face. He knew it. It needed him. It reached out to him. It wanted him. It was his only chance to get out of the dark. So he allowed it in.

The last thing he sensed before his mind faded into the blackness, was that the pain reaching from his shoulder into his soul changed. The hot burn was replaced by an icy dagger directed straight into his heart.

* * *

 

Mika yawned loudly to Sukiʼs irritation. She wanted to tell the younger girl that she is not the only one who has not fully awakened yet, but morning patrol duty was morning patrol duty. Even if it was still dark. Every girl had to do it, even if they hated it. Herself included. Also she was her senior, so she couldn't show any discouraging signs.

Suki certainly wasn't an early riser, but to be a Kyoshi Warrior she had to get used to many things she did not like. But in the end, it was all worth it. There wasn't anything she was more proud of than becoming the youngest Kyoshi Warrior in their history.

If only the morning patrol would be pushed a half hour later. She glanced at Cho, if she shared their lethargy, but the youngest of the group looked fresh and ready.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You're full of energy… at this hour. It's not possible!" Mika complained. "I couldn't get a minute of decent sleep because of that dreadful storm. I thought it was going to blow our house away!"

"I guess, I'm just a good sleeper."

With that, the short conversation died away, Cho leaving the two sleepy girls to their grumpiness.

They walked their routine path to the beach. Not that they had ever encountered anybody besides the locals on their patrol duty. But sometimes, they did get to see some Fire Nation ships faraway on the sea. Suki wondered, if they would find anything on the beach that the storm might have washed up.

There were broken branches everywhere, creating obstacles on their path, so they had to be careful, because the lanterns they brought along were not enough in the cloudy dusk. They even came across a few fallen trees.

Suki wasn't all that surprised. The storm from last night was unusually strong and scary, even if this kind of weather was quite common in this time of the year. Not speaking of the ghost stories about the sea near Kyoshi. Suki really hoped they won't find any parts of ship wreckages on the shore, because those Fire Nation ships were seen quite often on the horizon in the recent times. Or the giant Unagi chipping off such a shipwreck.

It was probably thanks to the giant sea monster, they didn't get many visitors in these parts of the island. To that, Suki was grateful, but she wasn't grateful for the image of Unagi feasting on some Fire Nation sailors that got caught in her mind.

As the three girls came out of the forest, a strong wind from the sea caught their dresses and blew out the candles in their lanterns. The two younger girls looked on Suki with scared faces.

"We'll continue. The sun will rise soon anyway."

The girls walked now closer to each other to be at least somewhat shielded from the still-howling wind. They even quickened their pace.

Just until Suki signaled them to stop.

There was something in the water ahead of them. Something dark, but Suki caught also a glimpse of white. And blue?

She pointed to the shape which was half in the water. The three Kyoshi warriors opened their fighting fans and approached the half-floating black form warily. Half-way there, Suki stopped them again.

"If anything happens, run for help to the village." The two less-experienced fighters nodded and stayed within safe distance.

Suki approached the body on the beach reluctantly, as she already could recognize the human form. The man was most probably dead, but she had to check to be sure. Although she had to convince herself to move. The scary mask the man was wearing did not help in making her less cautious.

She bent down on her knee, holding the fan in a position ready to attack in case of any suspicious movement. But the body looked lifeless, even when she reached for the mask. She pulled it off with a single movement, but she couldn't help but jump away a bit, scaring the two girls behind her.

She signaled them with her arm to stay put, when she bent down again.

To her big surprise, the mask revealed a boy, about her age, with a big scar covering his left eye and cheek. But his face was pale, too pale. Almost, if not blueish.

Suki put the metal fan in front of his lips and was ready to claim him dead, when on a closer examination, she noticed just a slightest bit of moisture on the surface of the fan.

"He's alive!" she sighed with relief. "Cho! Mika! Help me get him out of the water!"

 


	9. Returning from Darkness

The first thing that came from the coldness of nothingness was some sort of rocking motion, which was later exchanged for steadiness and feeling of hard surface underneath ( _there was underneath_?). He felt pins and needles all over his body (he had a body?), but mostly somewhere up on the right. There were hands on him, touching him and moving. He did not like it. Not at all. But he couldn't move an inch on his own. He would have cried out for them to stop, but his lips would not move _(he had a face_?). Then suddenly, he was floating. Floating in the emptiness again with somebody watching him. The presence was as if just behind him – hiding from him. But he knew it was there.

When all of the movement stilled and he was laying on the cold hard surface again, the coldness and nothingness started to return. The senses were abandoning him again. Only the sense for cold stayed. The coldness came from outside, but from inside as well. He couldn't remember what is warmth or any other feeling beside cold. And something was telling him that it was going to stay this way. Forever?

It was the feeling of pin and needles what brought him out of the emptiness the next time. There was the hard surface again, but something soft put over him as well. The darkness and nothingness was pulling on him, but this time he decided to put on a fight. He caught himself on the edges of consciousness and pulled – pulled and pulled until he started to get glimpses of sensations from his other senses.

He felt the smell of straw and clay, but also heard the cracking of fire. He was also slightly shaking. But why was he still cold? He shouldn't be. He was never cold. He was a firebender, wasn't he? Where was his fire?

With a rising panic, he finally managed to lift his eyelids and swiftly sat up.

"Hey! You're up!" The surprised voice came from beside him. But he paid no attention and was scrambling his way from the trap of blankets his limbs were caught in.

"Don't panic! You'll just get more tangled!"

He was held down to the ground, firmly but not forcefully, only to be met by a pair of blue eyes and pale white face. And that did not help him from panicking at all.

"Calm down! Okay?" This time the voice sounded softer, as well as the look in the eyes. Finally, he stopped trashing and the grip on his shoulders loosened. The pale-faced woman smiled approvingly.

"Fine. Now, don't move. I'll lift your head and you will drink this tea. If you understand, just nod once." He did, but he didn't want to drink anything from that pale-faced woman. But she was already lifting his head up and putting a cup to his lips. First, he tried to resist, but he was too exhausted to put up any fight and his mouth felt like a desert as well. He opened his lips and let the warm fluid in. It was so strange and sweet tasting that he coughed up the whole gulp.

"I'm sorry! I never did this," the woman said guiltily and pulled the cup away. "I'll try slower." This time he was prepared for the taste and gulped down the whole cup.

She eased his head back down carefully and stood up. "I'll get our healer. Just wait a minute."

She hurried away quickly. He tried to call on her, but only raspy sounds came from his throat, which still felt, even after drinking, dry and stiff. He didn't even know what he wanted to call after her. Probably just wanted to grasp himself to something living, if she was even real and living – all green and white faced.

He was left alone, the surroundings swaying and shifting. The fireplace was the only thing that he could really recognize. It was close, glowing and warming. He wanted to get closer, because it was still cold inside of him.

Why was the fire out? Why was it out of him instead of inside? He has to put it back inside. The warmth. The familiar. To drive out the strange thing inside.

* * *

 

Suki ran out into the night and headed towards the local healer's house. She was supposed to get Taska, even if she was most probably asleep already.

Luckily, it wasn't far away, but Suki couldn't help herself but ran anyway. Her hands shook when she knocked on the front door loudly. Caring or guarding people in severe health conditions wasn't her thing. She was on the edge during her whole guarding duty. And when the boy finally woke up after two days of unconsciousness, she even messed up the single thing she was supposed to do – to make him drink a single cup of honeyed tea. After all, she wasn't a nurse, but a warrior.

She knocked three times already and was ready to walk into the house, when healer Taska finally came out.

"I'm here, Suki. So he regained consciousness?" asked the elder lady while hurrying back to hut where their patient/prisoner was kept.

"Yes, I guess. But he seems to act feverish. He wanted to stand up, but I stopped him."

"Did you make him drink?"

"Yes, I did. Although he coughed some of it back up," said Suki guiltily.

"That's okay. We'll make him drink more."

Suki let the healer enter into the hut first, but was called in immediately by her sudden scream.

"Suki! Quickly! Help me!"

The scarred boy's face was just inches away from the fire and he was just about to put his hand straight into the flames.

"Stop! Get away from there!" Healer Taska caught his arm just in time and Suki yanked him back into a safer distance from the fireplace. He put up some resistance against being held back, but Suki made sure he won't escape her grip. Given his condition, he soon stopped resisting completely and his limbs gave out. He was left shivering on the floor.

"Help me get him back under the covers." Both of them had to use all their strength to lift the young man's body and pull him just a few inches and under the covers.

Healer Taska was then finally able to attend him properly and Suki was still holding him in a case he would attempt anything foolish again.

"Do you hear me boy?" the healer asked him while she was checking his temperature with both of her hands. She tried to guide his unfocused gaze on her face and she repeated the question, but there wasn't any response. He was still trying to look into the fire and seemed unfazed by the happenings around and with him.

"I don't understand," Suki looked on the older woman whose face filled with worry. "What's wrong?"

"I thought, he would have a fever, but his skin is still cold on touch." She then lifted the boy's tunic a bit, to check the temperature of his core body.

She shook her head. "He's still too cold. Not dead cold as he was when you brought him, but still not warm enough."

Suki slowly let go of him. He didn't seem to be responding to any of healer Taska's ministrations and was probably again on the brink of consciousness. What was going on with this strange man? As if washed up on shore after the storm of the decade wouldn't be enough mysterious, now he was even acting strangely.

"After two days of being held in warm, his body should be warmed up. Actually, fever would be expected, not the opposite." She put a warm wet cloth over his forehead and only wetted his lips because the boy was already falling asleep again.

„Suki, please, find somebody to help us again. We should probably prepare another warm bath for him."

* * *

 

Zuko woke up to the feeling of full bladder. He really had to get up from his futon and go, but why was it so hard to move? His limbs didn't want to listen. It took all his effort to at least open his eyes. The shock, however, gave him all the energy he needed for sitting up.

The room he was lying in was completely unfamiliar to him. Why wasn't he in his cabin? On his ship?

Zuko looked around and a movement by his side startled him.

"You're up again!" A strange woman in a traditional make-up, which gave off a rather fierce look, was kneeling beside his bedside.

"Hope you don't feel like burning yourself again."

"Wha…" Zuko wanted to ask what was she talking about, but ended up in a coughing fit. His throat felt dry as if he wasn't speaking for days.

"You don't have to speak. Drink first." The strange woman with a white face paint was offering him a steaming cup. He shook his head in refusal, still coughing.

"But you have to. You're dehydrated. You haven't drunk in at least two days." She seemed to be pretty urgent, what only made him a bit paranoid.

"Need – cough – just – cough – bathroom," he tried to brush her off, because his bladder probably wouldn't take a single drop of fluid more.

"Oh- okay," she said and averted her eyes embarrassed.

There was an awkward moment, when none of them spoke, only Zuko tried to stop his coughing and tried to stand up.

"I'll help you." She offered him a hand, but he ignored it and tried on his own. _What was going on_? What was he doing in this strange place? It looked like a worn down peasant's hut. And who was this strange woman anyway? On a closer look, he recognized that what she was wearing was some form of traditional warrior kimono. It had armor plates and at her side, what he assumed, were two metal fans. He would believe that it was all just some kind of formal clothing, nothing but traditional, if it wasn't for her posture of a trained warrior – her straight back, arms showing strength, her eyes observing him scrutinizing. Zuko was already determined not to give her anything. Why was he even guarded by some warrior woman? And why was he on land? Where was his ship? His Uncle?

When he attempted to stand up from under the covers, a shiver ran down his spine. Actually, he felt unusually cold.

_Cold._

_Dark._

_A blue face._

It all finally came back and he slumped back on the straw mattress.

The female offered her hand again. "Let me help you. You're too weak."

This time he had to take a moment to recollect himself. He remembered. The Water Tribe ship and the burn. The pain in his shoulder felt like a stab with a hot dagger right to the heart. He remembered the Water Tribe men trying helping him, but then the world turned into a swaying mess. That was until he fell into the darkness. And it was too much. The memories didn't make much sense. His head hurt as well as the burn on his shoulder. But this time the burn hurt differently. It was more like a tingling kind of sensation, not hot anymore, but more like cold. Icy cold sending chills down his spine, making him shivering.

"If you can't go outside, I can bring you a chamber pot," a silent, slightly embarrassed, voice pulled him out of the dark memories.

"I'm fine," he quickly dismissed the option and stood up on wobbly and still shaking legs. The woman gave him a coat, which he gratefully took.

"It's this way," the woman guided him outside of the hut to a wooden booth, which served as a latrine.

"I'll wait here," she said in front of the door.

"Ehm…. I don't need company."

"Actually, you do. Officially, you're our prisoner. I need to stand guard."

"Oh," Zuko didn't intended to prolong the awkward situation and did his business.

On the way back to the hut, Zuko tried to assess his situation. It looked like he was taken prisoner in some village in Earth Kingdom, most likely, somewhere close to the shore. They must have found him washed up on the beach. How was he even able to survive? He remembered that there was a storm and they were in the middle of the sea. The happenings before his awakening were too much shrouded in mystery to his liking. He never had problems with remembering or understanding his memories. They were all blurry and didn't make much sense anyway.

And on top of it, he was held by some villagers and was too weak to even attempt an escape. The short walk took away more of his energy than he expected. He got back under covers without taking off the given coat, as the tunic he was now wearing didn't seem nearly enough to his shivering body. The young woman fortunately didn't seem to mind.

"You should drink the tea now. It will warm you up from the inside." She was handing him the drink again. Zuko tried to guess, if there was a hidden meaning behind the act. Was she expecting him to refuse and use firebending to warm himself? After the same mistake on the Water Tribe ship, he was not going to fall for it and took the drink.

The young woman, however, still noticed his hesitation. "You know, we wouldn't have spent two days of bringing you back from the dead, if we were to poison you in the second you come to."

It really was just a tea. A tea with an extensive portion of honey.

"If I asked you, would you actually tell me your name?" asked the woman after she let him sip through the half of the cup.

_And so starts the interrogation,_ thought Zuko. And just as it was on the Water Tribe, Zuko was ready to give her exactly nothing. He couldn't know what would the warrior woman's reaction, or the villagers to that matter, would be. Guessing, the village was part of the Earth Kingdom, they would definitely stop being friendly the minute they would find out his identity.

"Where am I?" Zuko ignored the woman's question.

"Does giving me your name depend on where you are?"

She definitely knew what questions she should ask.

"Maybe," Zuko was not going to give her any lead. He knew he would have to be careful, even with remaining silent, as it was in the case of the interrogation on the Water Tribe.

"I'm Lee," he added, as if his earlier answer wasn't serious. But the eyes of the woman (since they were the only place where Zuko could look for any expressions, with the make-up distorting her features) said that she was not convinced with the name which came first to his mind.

"So, Lee, do you remember anything from the past two days?"

"No, nothing at all." She was starting with easier questions. He didn't even have to lie.

"Not that it really matters," she murmured more to herself, than to him.

"Well, you said it yourself. I did almost die," he snapped back.

But she didn't back off: "Then _, Lee_ , how about the days prior?" She was repeating the fake name with an overdone emphasis, clearly not believing it was real. "How _did_ you end up in that near-death condition? Did your ship got shipwrecked in the storm?"

Somehow, the atmosphere in the room got quickly a lot thicker. The friendly young woman changed into the fierce cold warrior, just as her make-up suggested.

"Was it a Fire Nation ship?"

Her blue eyes were piercing him. Zuko had problem to come up with an answer. Actually, any answer. Even the truth somehow didn't seem convincing enough right now to make her believe.

Luckily, he was spared of a reply, as the front door opened and an old woman and two other green-dressed and similarly-painted warrior women walked in. _Did the village have only female warriors? Where were the men?_

"Suki, you should have called for me immediately he woke up," the old woman said gently.

"Healer Taska, I'm sorry," the fierceness was completely lost from her voice.

"I hope you were not interrogating the patient. I said no questioning until he's recovered."

The woman looked away a bit guiltily. Zuko was just glad that he will have more time to come up with a convincing story of how he got to this place. It would be good to learn where is this place actually.

"I only wanted to make sure he's no threat to village."

"In this condition, he's surely not." The old woman put on the ground some food and medicines and the warrior woman moved away.

"Suki, we've come to replace you. You should go rest," said the taller warrior girl. With her voice sounding really young, Zuko observed that she had to be only a girl, not much older than him.

"But, I wanted to…"

"Captain Hideko's order," said the other female warrior.

Suki hung her head, but before she would walk out the door, she shot him a cold glare. Zuko knew that there was a promise for future questions and it will be hard to make the answers pleasing. But for now, he was saved.

"You know, you should thank healer Taska. She saved your life." That was the last thing she said before she left and the room stayed in an awkward silence.

"We'll be outside," said the shorter girl, leaving _if anything happens_ unsaid.

Zuko was left alone with the older healer woman. He imagined he could probably overpower her even in this state, but the thought only made him feeling guilty.

"I should say thanks… probably," he broke the silence and he cursed himself for being this awkward.

"You're welcome. Although, I did help you, but the one you should be really thanking is Suki, the girl who left. She found you on the beach after the storm barely breathing. And together with the girls, they brought you here," said the woman while she was squashing some herbs into the porridge she brought.

"You should eat this while its warm. I added some spices into it, so that it makes you even warmer. And also to make it more edible," she smiled and handed him the bowl full of some shapeless mass.

"Also, try to forgive her. She's just doing her job – as a Kyoshi warrior, she must protect the village from outsiders, especially the suspicious ones like you," she winked at him to make clear that she didn't mean it badly. But what caught Zuko's attention was the mentioning of Kyoshi. So he was on Kyoshi Island. That made sense. The sea, they were sailing across, was between the Earth Kingdom mainland and Kyoshi Island. But even then, the distance from the ship to any land must have been many miles.

"I would say that she is actually quite concerned about you." Zuko couldn't hold back a scoff. "No, really. She stayed by your side most of time. I had to literally pull her out of here to make her rest." _That was probably, because she felt suspicious of him and didn't want to let him out of her sight,_ thought Zuko.

"She even helped giving you warm baths."

Zuko choked on the porridge and coughed so bad that the healer had to thump on his back.

"Suki is a girl with a big sense of responsibility."

Like that should somehow comfort him.

"Anyway, how are you feeling? I see you're still shivering," she said stating the obvious. The shiver he woke up with hasn't faded even slightest.

"Can I?" the woman asked suggesting that she would like to check his temperature. Zuko did not really appreciate the idea of letting anyone touch his face, but since he's been out for two days during which they've done Agni knows what to him already, he let the healer check the temperature on his forehead and temples.

"I've felt cold ever since I woke up and I can't get warm. What's wrong with me?"

"Well…truthfully, I don't really know what's the problem. Suki and the girls found you on the beach in a state of an extreme hypothermia. You were truly lucky, I don't know how long, till you would be dead."

She let that sank in and then continued: "We gave you warm bath immediately to get your body temperature up, but you still wouldn't wake up. Then tonight you did, but you still weren't completely there. Do you remember anything from the last night?"

Zuko shook his head. He had no idea. He hoped it wasn't anything compromising.

"When I came, you were trying to touch the fire in that fireplace bare-handedly."

Zuko couldn't stop the shock from appearing on his face. She wouldn't assume… would she?

"Luckily we pulled you away before you would harm yourself. You felt cold, so your mind, not working properly, thought you could warm up a little bit."

"Yeah, probably that was it," Zuko almost sighed with relief, when he heard the woman's assumption. It would be bad, if she assumed that what he did had anything with him being a firebender. But he really did not remember any of the things she described. But the girl from earlier did mention something about him burning himself.

"I was really afraid, that you damaged your mind in that freezing water, but now I see that you will recover probably with no consequences. The last bath must have really helped," she said encouragingly. "But on the other hand, I still don't understand why are you not warming up completely. After two days you should have normal body heat, if not fever from catching cold. It really is curious. It could be even dangerous. Fever is a natural reaction of your body to fighting sickness. This way the recovering could be slowed down."

It really was weird. He felt really out of touch with his inner fire, although he didn't try to kindle it actively. Just not until he will be alone to at least spark up a little something inside. But it will have to wait, then maybe he finally will be able to get warm. This state was really unnatural for him and it started to frustrate him.

"Until then I recommend staying in bed, near the fire and eating warm food. The girls will bring it to you regularly."

"The girls?"

"Like I said, the Kyoshi Warriors, they are female only. I think you heard from Suki, that they cannot let you outside, until they will question you and deem you innocent."

"Innocent of what?" asked Zuko annoyed of being accused of things he did not do. He was passed out the whole time he was on the island. He did not firebend to be put under any charge.

"Innocent of trespassing or of being a spy for the Fire Nation."

"I did not trespass intentionally."

"You probably did not, but you still could be a spy. The mask you were wearing was pretty suspicious."

"My mask? Where is it? And my clothes?"

"They are on the table. There," she pointed to a desk in the back part of the hut. "Don't worry. They are all there. But we had to dry them first."

For a while, she let him eat his porridge, but Zuko noticed that she looked like she really wanted to ask something. When their eyes met, the woman finally decided to ask.

"Would you mind if I asked about your scar?"

Zuko almost choked on his food the second time. "What?" His hand involuntarily moved up to his face before he could stop it.

"No…Not the one on your face… the one on your back," the woman hurried to add. "It is really unusual. I've never seen anything like it."

"It's just a burn mark. There is nothing unusual about it."

"I wouldn't say it looks normal…"

"It's just a burn mark." He said it with a tone that clearly said that this is a topic he won't speak to her about. The woman, however, didn't look really indignant or insulted by his dismissal, she excepted the answer with a small smile.

"Then I will let you rest for a while and come check on you later. In the evening, I'll send for hot water. You should take warm baths every day. At least for a week." She collected her things and left him on his own. He heard her saying her goodbyes to the guards outside.

After a few minutes of still being on guard for some unexpected visit, Zuko finally relaxed. The warrior women stayed outside as well, so he could enjoy a bit of privacy. After the woman's questioning the scar on his shoulder, he felt an urge to check on it. Honestly, it felt different and the fact that he could actually feel it could meant…

He pulled down the coat and the tunic from his shoulder and the view made him gulp in shock. "What is…?" Zuko looked around the single-room hut to find a mirror to take a better look on the once flaming-red burn on his shoulder, but there wasn't any. Except now the burn turned pale white, almost blueish. And the white-blue tissue spread on his skin forming a deformed star shape.

He touched the skin there. It felt smooth, but dead-cold to his fingers. Like if the cold in his body stemmed from this very place.

What happened to him exactly on that stormy night? He got himself into a big mess. He was away from his ship, sick and taken prisoner in some forgotten village with something weird happening to the mysterious burn. What could possibly go worse?

He had to stop looking on the thing on his shoulder and take back the coat, as chills were running up his spine again. Suddenly he was very aware of the coldness of his body and moving closer to the fireplace helped little. He decided to reach his inner fire after all, just warm himself up a bit, because the weird feeling of cold started to be unbearable.

Except, there was nothing to reach.


	10. Old Grudges

She found him in the same position as she kept finding him during the whole week. "Lee" was sitting by the window in the thin stream of light that found its way into the room in the early hours of the day. The window was the only source of light in the hut, besides the fireplace, and it was only this morning hours that the sun reached the window directly.

And for the whole week, every day since his awakening, Suki found "Lee" meditating in that stream of sunshine with unceasing effort. The first day, it struck her a little by surprise, as Lee didn't seem to be the meditating type, but when it came to the village's prisoner, she tried not to have any prejudices any longer and take an open-minded approach.

Still, he made an unusual image for her each time she walked in. Sitting in the thin stream of light and facing the sun, she had the view of the right side of his face scowled in deep concentration. Somehow, even though he really was meditating, she was more reminded of a predator preparing for a right moment to strike. The image of him spoke danger to her, even in spite of that ridiculous hairdo (she realized that she would have to let him shave his head).

She did the same as the other days, she put the tray with breakfast on the ground. Today it was rice and egg omelet, and as it was instructed by healer Taska, still warm. The boy, as usually, didn't even open an eye at the noises of her moving. She already stopped greeting him or even warning him about his food going cold (when they already made the effort making it warm), when he was in meditation, since she wouldn't receive an answer anyhow. So she just left him there, doing what was certainly more important for his recovering. Also, this was probably his last time having a peaceful morning, before it would be decided what will they do with him. For a moment she considered, if she should warn him about it, but then he probably already knew.

Suki left the hut. "We will question him today, so stay put," she said to the girls on guard duty.  
She wanted to go after the village healer, but one of the girls stopped her. 

"Is he fine then?"

Suki only then noticed that it is the two girls she found their prisoner with – Mika and Cho. Both seemed concerned. Especially Cho, even under the face-paint was recognizably worried.

"He is fine. Sun-bathing and all, just like every morning."

"Is he – is he a firebender?" 

Cho visibly gulped at the prospect Mika was offering.

"Most probably, but I would like to see a proof or hear it from him. He hasn't used his bending yet. We can't know for sure." This unsureness made her really nervous. And she blamed it on healer Taska. She was really strict about not letting them ask the prisoner questions. At least not until captain Hideko returns back to the village.

The leader of Kyoshi Warriors was on a tour around the island for the last two weeks. As the leader of the only defenders of the island against the glooming shadow of the Fire Nation, she was meeting the representatives of the other villages of the Kyoshi Island and checking on the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors units scattered around the island. When they discovered the suspicious boy on the beach, they sent a messenger pigeon after their leader. The reply said that Hideko will cut her trip short, only making the most necessary stops. Suki tried to convince Hideko through a second message that she is capable of handling the matter, but the answer only said that she will be back in a week and for Suki to not over-work herself. Did their captain think she was incompetent? Suki felt a sting of disappointment of her captain's mistrust. She liked to think of herself as captain Hideko's right hand. But it looked like that when it came to serious matters, she still wasn't trusted enough.

And the prisoner's behavior surely didn't help her irritated mood during the whole week. She saw the relief on his face, when Taska first saved him answering her question. Since then, Taska asked him every day in front of her or other Kyoshi Warrior, if he wasn't asked unnecessary questions. The boy every time looked into her eyes and for a moment, as if considering his answer, before denying. Suki felt like he was doing it to mock her and it drove her mad every day. Especially, because Suki respected the healers request and told the other girls to respect it too. On the other hand, she has been all the more looking forward to this day. She planned to ask captain Hideko to allow her to be present during the interrogation. She was ready to be really persistent in the case the captain would have any objections.

"I have to go after healer Taska to get the permission for interrogation. Don't be nervous. We are well trained to fight benders, especially firebenders." Captain Hideko was extra focused on the sets for firebending defense.

"I know, but I've never fought a real firebender before," said Cho in a silent voice.

"That he doesn't know," said Suki in response and winked on the younger girl trying to cheer her up, ignoring her own feelings about the matter, which were very similar. Then she hurriedly left, so that her mask of   
encouraging smile wouldn't slip off.

She, as well as most of the younger warriors, has never fought with a firebender before and somehow, her gut feeling was telling her that it might change soon. Actually, she noticed that after the mysterious appearance of their prisoner, she unconsciously started to train harder than before. She started to realize that the status of neutrality of their home could gave them a false feeling of safety. Those Fire Nation war ships really weren't that far from their shores. Their neutrality will quite possibly need better defenses in the future. And with the arrival of the suspicious boy, things might have already started moving.

Suki arrived at the front door of the village leader and knocked only once, when the healer answered almost immediately. She must have been expecting me, Suki realized.

"Captain Hideko is returning today evening. She would like to interrogate the prisoner, if possible," said Suki directly.

"I know, Suki. First – just come in," said the healer in an almost nervous way and pulled her in.

Suki went after her a bit hesitantly. Taska led her to one of the back rooms and Suki suspected that she wants to have a private conversation.

"My husband is not home, but still, my infirmary is off limits even for him," she smiled a little, closing the door behind her.

"Healer Taska, I only wanted your consent for…"

"I know, I know… but first I need to talk with you – about the boy and captain Hideko." Suki was confused. The healer seemed really troubled. Suki could understand that she would like to talk about her patient, but why about the captain of Kyoshi Warriors? And why behind closed doors?

"Why about captain Hideko?"

"First about the boy," the healer stopped her. "I think I can say that we both assumed the same thing about the boy without stating the obvious." Suki nodded – of course she did.

"Yes, the prisoner is most likely a firebender. It is pretty obvious, even if he didn't firebend in front of us. He doesn't even try to hide it. He's meditating in the sun every morning, in the evening in front of the fireplace. And also there is the incident of the night he first woke up." Although these were only indirect evidences for their assumption, but the fact that the healer seemed to think the same as her, made her even more sure about it.

"The hypothermia affected him pretty badly. If I were to guess, I would have thought a firebender would recover faster than other benders or non-benders. Not the opposite. He must have been really close to passing to the Spirit World. If you wouldn't had found him, Suki, he surely wouldn't have survived."

Suki nodded. Despite all the problems he brought with his appearance, she was glad that she found him. And that she found him alive. The boy couldn't be much older than her. Suki couldn't imagine how it would be to find a dead body of a teenager on the beach that morning. Firebender, or not.

"But there is something… he keeps something away. The scar on his back. It can't be natural."

"Couldn't it be that some kind of coloring got into the wound?" Suki didn't get what the healer was getting so worked up about.

"I really don't know and can't imagine the cause of the color. But his defensive reaction when I asked him about it was fairly suspicious, if I were to judge. And I'm afraid if we were to push him about it he could strike back at us somehow. Especially, Hideko… I don't think… maybe we shouldn't tell her about it."

"Healer Taska, she is my superior. I'm not allowed and I don't want to keep information away from her," Suki protested to Taskaʼs proposition of lying to her captain.

"I know and understand, but first you have to listen to what I have to tell you."

"Okay, Taska, I'm listening," said Suki and was sure that she will not like what she's going to hear in the next minutes.

"How much do you know about your leader's past?" asked the healer, and while Suki was thinking, she started to roll some fresh bandages into nice small bundles prepared for a case of need.

"Well, I know that she is not from Kyoshi, if that's what you mean?"

"And anything concrete?"

"No, not really. She's not really a talkative type when it comes to personal matters," she had to admit and when she thought about it, it almost surprised her how little she really knew about her captain.  
The healer sighed. "I'm not sure, if I should be the one telling you about this, but at least someone must understand …" her voice jittered. And Suki knew that she really wasn't going to like what she is going to learn in the next minutes.

"Your captain is from an Earth Kingdom village just across the sea to the east. It is a Fire Nation colony now, but it wasn't 15 years ago."

Suki counted – she herself probably wasn't even born yet and captain Hideko was probably about 10 years old and able to remember the colonization.

"The village resisted the colonization, but it resulted in half of the village being burnt down. The local earthbenders put up a fight for their independence but they were easily stopped by the overwhelming numbers of the firebenders sent to stop the resistance. And these troops were not hesitating about burning houses and people."

Suki frowned at the idea of a burning hell that the village must had become that time. She couldn't imagine what it might had been for her captain to experience at all.

"Captain Hideko never mentioned…. I had no idea-"

"Her mother died in a fight with a firebender. She was one of the earthbenders who defended the village. At least that were the words of Hidekoʼs father. He died because of severe burns shortly after the refugee boat hit the shore of Kyoshi. To this day, I have no idea how they got across the sea. It must had been the work of the spirits." Taska laughed a bit nervously, while rolling a bandage into an exceptionally tight roll.  
"Anyway, the father was carrying her only daughter who was also badly burnt. Her whole back was one big wound. I had to put all my knowledge and supplies of herbs into healing the poor girl. But I couldn't… couldn't help her father." Taskaʼs voice broke and Suki also noticed the tears she was trying to fight back.

Suki was speechless. She had no idea about the tragic past of their captain, even after spending four years among Kyoshi warriors. Did any of the girls know about it? Maybe the older ones? But why would be Taska so secretive about it, if others would know? How could she not notice any scars Taska mentioned? Suki realized that she actually did not remember when was the last time she saw their captain out of her uniform.  
Suki stood up to help the healer with the bandages as she kept rolling and unrolling one multiple times. "I'll help you," she said and took the bandage out of the trembling fingers of older woman.

"Thank you, my dear," said Taska and dried her eyes with the sleeve of her warm dress. She had to take a minute before continuing with the awful story.

"Hideko was one of the few survivors from that boat. Some of them did not even last to see the shore of Kyoshi."

"That's terrible." Suki was starting to realize how lucky they were for not taking part in the war. The horrors that the rest of the world have gone through were out there, detached from their little world, until now. Until she got to know that their captain was a victim of themand until the suspicious boy got cast out by the sea.

"Most of the survivors left Kyoshi after they were healed because of the strict policy against outsiders, but Hideko was an orphan. She had nowhere to go. So happened that Kyoshi warriors took her in and raised her. I think that's why Hideko did her best – as a way of thanking them. And now, she is their - your – leader."

Suki was stunned by this story. She was still shocked she was learning about this only now. Of course, these were really private details about their captain, but they only made Suki admire her even more. There was no other girl in their group who deserved more to be their leader. Suki admired Hideko from childhood, if not idolized her. She was the reason she joined the warriors. It was because as a child, she and her mother were saved by her from a wild rhinolynx when they were on their way home from the neighboring village's market. Ever since that day she wanted to become a Kyoshi warrior.  
Suki rolled up the last bandage and put it neatly in the row to the other rolls.

"But why did you tell me about this? Why now? What does Lee have anything to do with this?"

Taska sighed again and Suki got really nervous. The old healer made it seem as if the worse part of what she wanted to tell her was only going to come.

"Suki, do you remember the incident with that Fire Nation trading ship five years ago?"

Suki was lost. She had to remember really hard what the incident was about. "There was a firebender, right? There was a small fire? But it was before I joined the warriors."

"Yes, that's right." Taska put away all the bandages and now focused solely on Suki.

"Merchants from the Fire Nation were forced to stay a night on the Island because a big storm was passing. They were housed in an inn at the port. The warriors from the port town asked the girls from our village for a small support group. For any case. And Hideko was one of the girls sent there." Taskaʼs hands curled into fists.

"There was a brawl in the inn. The drunk merchant used firebending, but before anything more serious could happen, the girls pacified all of them. Hideko was the one who stopped the firebender. And it wasn't exactly that she stopped him. More like… more like… beat him. It was entirely a one sided fight." Taska was shaking again. Suki couldn't imagine what could have happened. Was it really that bad, that only a memory made the local healer shake?

"I was tending the man after the incident. He was beaten unconscious. You know, it is usually the poorest firebenders that don't make it into the Fire Nation army. And the Fire Nation doesn't waste its bender potential. Even female benders are recruited into the army. He never stood a chance against Hideko. She really… she really…"  
Taska didn't finish. Her voice broke. And Suki didn't know what to say to that. She just stood there with thoughts rushing through her head. How was she supposed to react to Taskas story? And what did the healer want her to do with this information?

"Suki, I'm not saying that the boy doesn't need to be interrogated, but please, try to keep an eye on your captain. Just make sure that the process won't hurt anybody. And I'm not talking only about the prisoner. I understand she has a right to hold a grudge against the Fire Nation, but she should not let the past keep clouding her judgment."

"Taska, I can try to advise her, but… she is our leader. She is the best of us. I mean, it was quite a few years ago. I don't think anything troublesome will happen."  
"Her family died even longer ago and still, the merchant was leaving without a few of his teeth and with a broken nose and ribs." Taska did not let her gaze off of Suki.

And Suki was beginning to feel pressured. "Fine. I promise I will try to step in if a situation will arise."

It was late afternoon and Suki couldn't prolong it any longer. Their leader could be back any moment. After her conversation with healer Taska, she had to warn the prisoner boy, even though she still did not want to believe that her captain would do anything that would not be of reasonable judgment.

So for now, she had to stop pacing around her room in the barracks and give the prisoner a visit. She took the razor she borrowed from the table and almost ran to the small hut at the edge of the village. The girls on guard greeted her and she nodded in acknowledgement. She stormed into the room without any warning and caught Lee in the middle of performing a kata.

He broke off the posture quickly and observed her with a blank expression. Suki eyed him for a bit, being almost sure she just interrupted a firebending routine, but she still had not caught a glimpse of a flame.

"What do you want?" asked the boy impatiently with his eyes narrowed, and especially with the scarred one, almost closed into a slit.

"You're not the one to ask questions," said Suki coldly.

"Here, you could use a shave. You're starting to look ridiculous." She put the shaving equipment on the low table and waited. But "Lee" did not react or move.

"Well, you can get on with it, because I'll wait here for you to finish and we do not have all day."

"Lee" approached the table slowly and looked at the razor.

"Do not have funny ideas! So just move slowly or I…" but Suki didn't even get to finish and the razor was already in his hands. Her hand jumped for the katana at her side but she did not need to draw. "Lee" just brought the razor to the top of his head and sliced off the high ponytail. Then he just dropped the razor back on the table and, without a single emotion showing, he threw the sliced hair into the fireplace. It quickly caught on fire and filled the room with the characteristic smell.

"Is that all you wanted?" asked "Lee" still with a plain voice, although turned away from her, so she didn't see his face.

Suki was caught speechless by the sudden act, her hand still on the katana.

"Well, yes…. No… I mean no." The small shock didn't allow her to think straight for a couple of moments.

"Tonight, you will be interrogated by our leader."

"It's about time," he said flatly.

"Listen, I don't know what or who you are. In any case, just don't make things worse for yourself. All you have to do is answer some questions. Most importantly, don't use firebending because…"  
At that "Lee" scoffed and that stopped Suki.

"We know you're a bender, don't try to deny it."

The boy turned around with a scowl on his face. Suki would say that without the ponytail he looked even more ridiculous, but the fiery look in his eyes made him almost scary instead. He walked closer to her in a manner that made Suki think he was trying to intimidate her.

"Don't you think that if I could use firebending, I would be long gone from this wretched hut?"

"I don't know why you haven't used your bending yet, but be assured that it wouldn't make your chances of escaping any higher than they are without it." She returned him the hard gaze.

To that he didn't have anything to say, so he just settled for another small scoff. For a moment he seemed to size her up and when he made a small glance at the razor laying on the table, Suki reacted.

"Don't even think about it." With one hand she pointed her unfolded fan at his eyes and with the other she took the equipment from the table. "Lee" did not move at all and didn't seem to mind to be rid of the single weapon he laid his hands on during the whole week.

"I came only to warn you to not make things harder for yourself. Who knows? Maybe you could be let on the next merchant ship and be back in the Fire Nation by the next week. I certainly wouldn't mind." Suki withdrew the fan and let their stuck up prisoner stand in the middle of the room.

She couldn't believe the guy. And also her captain. Why do they need to keep him here? They could just let him go. Not that there was anything on the island he could spy on. She had the feeling that the longer he stays here, the worse the outcome of the whole situation will be.


End file.
